Diabetic retinopathy is a diabetes complication that affects eyes. It’s caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. At first, diabetic retinopathy might cause no symptoms or only mild vision problems.
The condition can develop in anyone who has diabetes. The longer you have diabetes and the less controlled your blood sugar is, the more likely you are to develop this eye complication.
Symptoms
- Spots or dark strings floating in your vision (floaters)
- Blurred vision
- Fluctuating vision
- Dark or empty areas in your vision
- Vision loss
Causes
- Over time, too much sugar in your blood can lead to the blockage of the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina, cutting off its blood supply.
- As a result, the eye attempts to grow new blood vessels. But these new blood vessels don’t develop properly and can leak easily.
- As diabetic retinopathy progresses, new blood vessels may grow and threaten your vision.
Risk factors
- Having diabetes for a long time
- Poor control of your blood sugar level
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Pregnancy
- Tobacco
Complications
- Vitreous hemorrhage – The new blood vessels may bleed into the clear, jellylike substance that fills the center of your eye.
- Retinal detachment – The abnormal blood vessels associated with diabetic retinopathy stimulate the growth of scar tissue, which can pull the retina away from the back of the eye.
- Glaucoma – New blood vessels can grow in the front part of your eye and interfere with the normal flow of fluid out of the eye, causing pressure in the eye to build.
- Blindness – Diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, glaucoma or a combination of these conditions can lead to complete vision loss.
Prevention
- Manage your diabetes. Make healthy eating and physical activity part of your daily routine. Try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity, such as walking, each week.
- Monitor your blood sugar level. You might need to check and record your blood sugar level several times a day.
- Keep your blood pressure and cholesterol under control. Eating healthy foods, exercising regularly and losing excess weight can help.
- If you smoke or use other types of tobacco, ask your doctor to help you quit.
- Pay attention to vision changes – Contact your eye doctor right away if your vision suddenly changes or becomes blurry, spotty or hazy.
Treatment Principles
Treatment should be select after analysing the type of dosha dushya dushti
- Avarana vata chikitsa
- Vatanulomana oushadhas in pitta sthana
- Sannipataja timira chikitsa (frst stage)
- Control prameha
- Chakshurvisesha chikitsa
- Rasa-raktavaha sroto dushti chikitsa
- Rakta prasadana oushdhadhas
- Urdhwagata raktapitta chikitsa (if retina haemorrhage is there.
The treatment is aimed to arrest the bleeding and thereby protecting the eye from complete blindness or from retinal detachment)
- Srotoshodhana – Kaphadhika abhishyanda chikitsa (if there is retinal vessel occlusion)
- Shopha hara – kapha pitta shamana oushadhas (if there is macular oedema)
- Dhatukshayajanya vata vikara chikitsa (if there is retinal damage)
- Sannipataja linganasha chikitsa (chronic stage)
- Tikta rasa pradhana oushadhas
- Netra nadi balya oushadhas
- Chakshushya oushadhas
Treatment modalities
- Seka
- Aschyotana
- Talam
- Kavalam
- Mukha lepa
- Shirobhyanga
- Purampata
- Lepam on forehead – for haemorrhage (musta, chandana with milk)
- Shiro lepa or Talapothichil – for haemorrhage (with laksha in vasa swarasam / Amalaki churna with ghita or refer tala potichil)
- Shiro dhara (better to avoid in kaphavarana avastha)
- Takradhara
- Anjana (for kaphavarana vata conditions & akshi prasadana anjanas)
- Snehapana (after controlling prameha)
- Virechana
- Nasya (shodhana nasya/ samana / bramhana nasya
- Tarpana (don’t advice in kaphavarana condition)
- Putapaka
- Vasti- chakshushya or drishti prasadana vasti
Internal medicines
Kashaya/Swarasa:-
- Amrita shadangam Kashaya
- Brihat manjishthadi Kashaya
- Dhanwantaram Kashaya
- Dhataki pushpa Kashaya
- Guluchyadi Kashaya
- Jivaniya gana Kashaya
- Lodhra yashti Kashaya (ext)
- Lödhradi Kashaya (ext/int)
- Mahatiktakam Kashaya
- Punarnnavadi Kashaya (shopha hara)
- Triphala Kashaya (ext)
- Vasa guluchyadi Kashaya (for haemorrhage)
- Vasa swarasa with pippali churna + honey
Asava/Arishta:-
- Dhanwantararishta
- Balarishta
- Punarnavasava
Chura:-
- Chandana churna +butter (purampata)
- Dhatri nisha churna
- Kacchuradi churna (talam)
- Nisha churna +Vasa swarasam (talam)
- Punarnava+vilwa mulam churna +butter (talam)
- Triphala churna with madhu & gritha
- Yashtitriphala churna
Gulika/ Vati/ Guggulu:
- Chandanadi varti
- Chandraprabha gulika
- Jathimukuladi varti
- Kaishora guggulu
- Mukkadi purampata
- Nishamalaki gulika
- Panchatikta grita guggulu
- Sarivadi varti
- Shiva gulika
- Triphala guggulu
- Vimala varti
Taila (nasya / ext)-
- Anu taila
- Balashwagandhadi taila
- Bhringaraja taila
- Dhanwantaram taila & avartti
- Kshirabala taila & avartti
- Nimbamritadi taila
Gritham:-
Select ghritas after analysing the dosha düshya dushi. Ghta should be taken after controlling prameha:-
- Dhanwanataram gritha (for kaphavrita vata)
- Durva gritha (for aschyotana)
- Guggulutiktakam gritha (for kaphavrita vata)
- Jivanthyadi ghrita
- Mahatraiphala ghrita
- Patoladi ghrita
- Satahwädi tarppana ghrita
- Tiktakam ghrita
- Traiphala ghrita
Bhasma:-
- Abhraka bhasma
- Kanmada bhasma
- Pravala bhasma
- Rajata bhasma
- Swarna bhasma
Rasa/ dhatu/ loha preparations:-
- Dhatri louha
- Saptamrita louha
- Vasanta kusumakara rasa
- Shilajatu rasayana
AYURDHAMA TREATMENT PROGRAM INCLUDES:
- Initial Consultation with Ayurveda Doctor and daily follow up consultation
- Accommodation
- All Ayurvedic Meals (Breakfast, Lunch & Supper) & herbal drink.
- Advice on Diet & Lifestyle Management
- Ayurveda Therapies – Customized for each client.
- Yoga (once a day – Yoga Asanas, Breathing, Meditation and Relaxation)
RESERVATION DETAILS:
- We are committed to keep up the quality of our treatment programs and we take only a limited number of patients each month.
- So we advise you to reserve your treatment programs a minimum one month in advance.
- The 50% charges of the treatment programs should be paid in advance to reserve the treatment programs.
- The advance deposit will be deducted from the total treatment programs and the balance must be paid on the first day of the treatment program.