Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment in Jalandhar

If you have diabetes (sugar), your eyes need a check-up every year, even if you see perfectly well. Diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels at the back of the eye. This is called diabetic retinopathy, and it is one of the leading causes of blindness in working-age adults. The damage is silent at first. By the time vision drops, the disease is often advanced.

At Drishti Eye Care & Retina Centre in Lambra, Jalandhar, Dr Nalini Saxena treats diabetic retinopathy at every stage: from early screening to eye injections to stitchless retinal surgery. She completed a dedicated fellowship in vitreo-retinal diseases at Venu Eye Institute and Research Centre, New Delhi, after her MS in Ophthalmology from Maulana Azad Medical College.

What is diabetic retinopathy?

The retina is the thin layer at the back of your eye that works like the film in a camera. It catches light and sends the picture to your brain. The retina is fed by many very fine blood vessels.

High blood sugar, over the years, weakens these vessels. They start to leak fluid and blood into the retina. This is the early stage, called non-proliferative retinopathy. If the leak happens at the centre of the retina (the macula, the part you read with), it swells up. This swelling is called macular oedema and it blurs central vision.

In the late stage, called proliferative retinopathy, the starved retina grows new, abnormal blood vessels. These vessels are weak. They bleed inside the eye and can pull on the retina, causing scar tissue and even a retinal detachment. This stage can cause sudden and severe loss of vision.

The longer you have had diabetes, the higher the risk. Poor sugar control, high blood pressure, kidney disease and pregnancy make it worse.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy

In the early stage there are usually no symptoms at all. This is why screening is so important. As the disease advances, you may notice:

• Blurred vision, or vision that changes from day to day
• Difficulty reading small print, even with glasses
• Dark spots, cobwebs or “floaters” drifting in your vision
• Straight lines looking wavy or bent
• Poor vision at night
• A sudden shower of floaters, or a red or black curtain over the vision — this means bleeding inside the eye

When to see a doctor

Every person with diabetes should have a dilated retina examination once a year, starting from the time diabetes is diagnosed. In a dilated exam, drops widen the pupil so the doctor can see the whole retina.

You need to be seen sooner — and if there is bleeding, the same day — if you notice any of the symptoms above. Do not wait for the sugar to “settle” first.

How Dr Nalini treats diabetic retinopathy

Dr Nalini Saxena is a retina specialist. She has been trained specifically in medical and surgical diseases of the retina, first through her fellowship at Venu Eye Institute, New Delhi, and then during two months of advanced training in complex vitreo-retinal surgery in Germany. She has also passed the examination of the Royal College of Surgeons. Treatment depends on the stage:

Early stage: control and watch

If the changes are mild and the macula is not swollen, no eye treatment is needed yet. The most powerful treatment at this stage is tight control of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. Dr Nalini will tell you how often to come back for review.

Swelling or new vessels: eye injections

Intra-vitreal injections are medicines injected into the jelly of the eye. They dry up the swelling at the macula and shrink abnormal new vessels. The injection sounds frightening, but it is done with numbing drops, takes a few seconds, and most patients feel only slight pressure. A course of several injections, a few weeks apart, is usually needed.

Bleeding or scar tissue: stitchless surgery

When there is heavy bleeding inside the eye that does not clear, or scar tissue is pulling on the retina, surgery is needed. Dr Nalini performs stitchless vitreo-retinal surgery. Through tiny openings, the blood-filled jelly is removed, scar tissue is peeled off, and the retina is repaired. Because the openings are so small, no stitches are needed in most cases.

Many diabetic patients also develop a cataract early. As Dr Nalini is both a retina surgeon and an experienced cataract surgeon, both problems can be planned together.

What to expect on the day

For an examination: your vision is checked, drops are put in to widen the pupils, and after about 30 minutes Dr Nalini examines the retina. Scans of the retina may be taken to measure swelling. Plan for one to two hours, and bring someone to take you home, as your vision stays blurry for a few hours.

For an injection: the eye is cleaned and numbed with drops. The injection itself takes a few seconds. You go home the same day with antibiotic drops. Mild redness at the injection site and a few floaters for a day or two are normal.

For surgery: surgery is done under local anaesthesia in most patients. Depending on what is done inside the eye, you may be asked to keep your head in a particular position for some days afterwards.

Recovery

• After injections: you can return to normal activities the next day. Vision improves gradually over the following weeks as swelling goes down. Do not skip the scheduled injections — the benefit depends on completing the course.
• After surgery: vision is blurry at first and clears slowly over weeks. Use the drops as prescribed, avoid heavy lifting and rubbing the eye, and follow any head-position advice strictly.
• Always: keep your sugar under control. Treatment protects the retina, but only good sugar control stops new damage.

Cost of diabetic retinopathy treatment in Jalandhar

Cost depends on the stage of the disease and the treatment needed:

• Examination and scans. A dilated exam is the first step. Scans of the retina add to the cost when needed.
• Number of injections. Injections are charged per injection. The number needed varies from patient to patient, and the type of medicine also affects the price.
• Surgery. Vitreo-retinal surgery costs more than injections and depends on how complex the case is, for example whether a gas or oil bubble is used inside the eye, and whether cataract surgery is combined.

We give a clear estimate after the examination. Ask our staff about insurance and government scheme paperwork.

Frequently asked questions