What is the dause of proliferative diabetic retinopathy?

Can blind you: Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication for diabetes. It involves the elevated glucose stimulating new, fragile, blood vessels to form under the retina. When you have even minor trauma, you can have a bleed under the retina that will kill it. If it happens enough, you will go blind. Be seen for a dilated exam as it can be treated if you have not had a bleed.

Duration of Diabetes: The main risk factors for causing pdr are having diabetes for longer than 10 years and poor blood sugar control. Pdr results when retinal blood vessels begin to grow abnormally in response to poor retinal circulation. The new vessels are fragile and bleed easily and bleeding is the main cause of vision loss in pdr. Treatments include laser, vitrectomy surgery, and intravitreal injections.

Poor blood flow: Ultimately it is caused by poor perfusion of your retinal capillaries that stimulates a response in your eye to produce abnormal new blood vessels, these can break and cause bleeding and loss of vision.