Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is one of the most frequently occurring metabolic disorders (DMs), impairing healthy life around the globe, with mild-to-severe secondary complications. DM is associated with secondary complications, including diabetic retinopathy (DR), which damages the retina and can lead to vision loss. Diabetic patients often suffer from extreme retinal capillary aneurysms, hemorrhage, and edema, which is likely to lead to non-proliferative or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR or PDR) and diabetic macular edema (DME). Several epidemiological studies have illustrated that the occurrence of DR can vary by age of diabetes onset, diabetes type, and ethnicity. Although DR is very well-known, the complexity of its etiology and diagnosis makes therapeutic intervention difficult and challenging. We have reviewed different pathological aspects of diabetic retinopathy and its underlying mechanism of occurrence. In this review, we aim to provide an in-depth understanding and illustration of the progression of diabetic retinopathy, its pathophysiology, epidemiology, and prospective therapeutic targets.
Highlights
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) involves microaneurysms or worse lesions affecting at least a single eye [1]
This review aims to summarize the epidemiology, risk factors, management, and pharmacological intervention of diabetic retinopathy
Data for this article were collected from PubMed and Google Scholar using the keywords ‘Diabetic Retinopathy’, ‘Hyperglycemia and retinopathy’, ‘Prevalence of retinopathy’, ‘Risk factors of retinopathy’, ‘Diabetic macular edema’, ‘Microvascular complications’, and ‘Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy’
Summary
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) involves microaneurysms or worse lesions affecting at least a single eye [1]. It is one of the most pervasive secondary microvascular complication intrinsic in diabetes mellitus (DM), induced by leakage from breakdown of the inner blood–retinal barrier and microvascular occlusion [2,3,4]. DR plays a vital role in blindness and vision impairment in the working-class population (aged 20–65 years) worldwide [5,6,7]. Within South Asia, depending on dietary patterns and lifestyle variations, the urban population is more susceptible to DR than the suburban or rural communities [8]. Several epidemiologic studies suggest that DR is more prevalent in young individuals with type 1 rather than type 2 DM and presents a substantial burden to the socio-economy due its effects on working-aged individuals [2]
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