What are Microaneurysms in the eye?
Microaneurysms are tiny outpouchings of blood that protrude from an artery or vein. When they occur in the eye, they are known as retinal microaneurysms. If these protrusions open, they leak blood into the tissues of the retina.
What causes Microaneurysms in diabetic retinopathy?
Microaneurysms: The earliest clinical sign of diabetic retinopathy; these occur secondary to capillary wall outpouching due to pericyte loss; they appear as small, red dots in the superficial retinal layers.
What is the treatment for NPDR?
Treatment: The main treatment for NPDR is laser photocoagulation for macular edema. Many patients with significant macular edema are asymptomatic with good vision. It is therefore essential to diagnose and treat these patients during the early stage to prevent future visual loss.
Can you have retinopathy without diabetes?
Retinopathy lesions are commonly seen in middle aged and elderly people without diabetes. Common ocular conditions associated with retinopathy in non-diabetic patients include retinal vein occlusions, retinal telangiectasia, and retinal macroaneurysms.
What Fundoscopic changes are concerning for diabetic retinopathy?
Key Points. Features of diabetic retinopathy can include microaneurysms, intraretinal hemorrhage, exudates, cotton-wool spots, macular edema, macular ischemia, neovascularization, vitreous hemorrhage, and traction retinal detachment. Symptoms may not develop until damage is advanced.
Is there any cure or treatment for microaneurysm?
Treatment. A microaneurysm does not require any treatment on it’s own. The underlying systemic disorder causing them needs to be treated. Most microaneurysms are reversible with treatment of your diabetes, high blood pressure or other disorder causing them.
Can a retinal microaneurysm be a reversible condition?
Most microaneurysms are reversible with treatment of your diabetes, high blood pressure or other disorder causing them. A healthy lifestyle and management of diabetes and high blood pressure go a long way to reducing retinal microaneurysms.
How are microaneurysms used to diagnose retinopathy?
Microaneurysms, or dot hemorrhages, are detectable ophthalmoscopically, and the presence and number of microaneurysms have strong predictive value with respect to progression of the retinopathy.145,146 The capillary outpouchings have been identified as being predominantly around areas of occluded capillaries.
Is the presence of microaneurysms compatible with normal vision?
The presence of microaneurysms alone, in the absence of other features of diabetic retinopathy, remains compatible with normal vision. However, as the number of microaneurysms increases, there is a greater risk of retinopathy progression. 35–37