Is your vision impaired due to diabetes? Let's learn about DME treatments! (Diabetic Macular Edema Treatments)

If you are a diabetic, you probably remember your doctor always telling you, "Control your sugar levels well, or it's not good for your eyes." That's actually true. If diabetes is not controlled properly, our eyesight can be seriously damaged. The main damage to the eyes in this way is Diabetic Macular Edema , or (DME) for short. What happens in this is that the most sensitive part of the retina inside the eye swells. But don't worry, there are now very effective and advanced treatments for this condition. That's what we are talking about in this article today.

The first step in treatment: controlling the cause of the disease

Doctors follow two main approaches when treating DME. The first and most important thing is to control the underlying cause . That means controlling your high blood sugar levels and high blood pressure.

Imagine a roof leak. It's better to fix the hole in the roof than to use buckets to collect the water on the ground. That's how it is with this. While treating the eye directly, it is essential to control the underlying diabetes and high blood pressure. By following your doctor's instructions exactly, you can stop the damage to your eyes and prevent the condition from getting worse. This is the foundation of treatment.

What are the treatments that are done directly to the eye?

Once the underlying cause is ruled out, your doctor will begin treatment to repair the damage inside your eye. You will be referred to an ophthalmologist or retina specialist . The best treatment for you will depend on the type of DME you have.

There are two main treatment methods.

1. Anti-VEGF Injections

2. Laser treatment (Focal-Grid Macular Laser Surgery)

Let's now look at each of these separately.

1. Anti-VEGF Injections

Why are these injections given? What is VEGF?

Simply put, when you have DME, your eye produces too much of a protein called VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) . This protein causes the new blood vessels that form inside your eye to become very weak, like water pipes made of cheap plastic. So, these weak blood vessels leak blood and fluid, causing the macula , the sensitive area in the center of your retina, to swell. That's what causes your vision to become blurry and dim.

What are these medications?

There are several main types of drugs used for this treatment. Some drugs only affect the protein VEGF, while newer drugs affect both VEGF and another protein involved in blood vessel formation, Angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) .

How to administer the vaccine and treatment duration

Now, when I say 'I'm getting an injection in your ear,' you might feel a little scared. But it's actually not that scary.

• No pain: The doctor will apply numbing drops to your eyes before giving the injection, so you won't feel any pain.
• Procedure: This medicine is injected into the eye through the white part of the eye using a very fine, thin needle.
• Treatment duration: Usually, you will need to receive a shot once a month for the first 4-6 months. Then, as your eye condition improves, the number of shots you receive will gradually increase. You may need to receive this treatment less frequently, even for several years.

Once the blood vessels stop leaking, your vision will gradually begin to improve.

Be sure to remember:

This vaccine is not suitable for pregnant women because it can harm the baby. Therefore, if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, you should definitely talk to your doctor about this.

2. Laser treatment (Focal-Grid Macular Laser Surgery)

This is another successful treatment method used for DME.

• What does it do?: This involves using a laser to 'seal' the weak blood vessels in your retina that are leaking. It's like heating and gluing plastic together. This seals the blood vessels, reducing the amount of blood and fluid that leaks out of them, and reducing swelling in the macula.
• Treatment: If you have DME in both eyes, your doctor will not treat both eyes at once. He will treat one eye and then treat the other eye a few weeks later. Usually, one laser treatment per eye is enough.
• When to use: Sometimes, if the desired results are not achieved with anti-VEGF injection treatment alone, the doctor may decide to perform this laser treatment along with the injection.