My father is recently diagnosed of Retinopathy, what are the things to be taken care of?

Answer 1

I assume that, this is a condition of Diabetic Retinopathy(DR). If any other Retinopathy, please don't follow the bellow instruction and get back to me with the details.

I would like to know, the stage of his DR. Follow-up and the type of treatment would depend upon the stage. Early stage of DR, does not need immediate treatment, but regular follow-up is must.

Patients having Retinopathy are most of the time, also diagnosed with Nephropathy. It's better to consult a Nephrologist as well, so that he/she can assess the status of the kidney.

I would suggest him to control his blood-sugar level first. To asses his current situation, he should go through the following tests

• FBS (Fasting Blood Sugar)
• PPBS (Post Prandial Blood Sugar)
• HbA1c (Glycated haemoglobin - you can find details here : http://www.diabetes.co.uk/what-is-hba1c.html )
• Microalbumin level in urine
• Fundoscopy (testing the retina of eye)
• Other retinal tests ( e.g. FFA, OCT ) might be required depending upon the severity of the Retinal damage

Regular quarterly eye check-up (Fundoscopy) is a must, so that timely treatment can be done when required, to prevent progression of Diabetic Retinopathy(DR).

Consult with Diabetologiest / Physician for treating the diabetis.

Comments

Thank you for the response ma'm! The stage is mentioned as NPDR. What further care do I need to take care about?

Answer 2

Hi Joseph,

     NPDR (Non Proliferative DR) are of multiple types : Mild, Moderate, Severe etc.

If your father has mild NPDR, regular follow-up with an Ophthalmologist at six months interval will be good enough. Along with that, i would suggest to control the blood-sugar level effectively.

If it is beyond mild category, i would suggest you to consult with an Ophthalmologist early, to decide the course of the exact treatment.

Dr. Nibedita

Comments

Thank you for the advice ma'm.