An estimated 1 in 10 Belgians suffers from diabetes and 20 to 30 percent of diabetic patients who have had diabetes for more than 20 years suffer from diabetic macular edema, fluid in the eye.
In diabetic macular edema, the macula, an area in the center of the retina where nerve cells are located, fills with fluid, blurring vision.
Diabetic macular edema is a result of another serious eye condition, diabetic retinopathy. This is an impairment of the blood vessels of the retina and can be a result of both type I and type II diabetes. Through Too much glucose in the blood damages the blood vessels in the body, including the small blood vessels of the retina in the eye.
Symptoms include reduced clarity and/or blurred vision, distortions or spots, and double vision. These symptoms often only appear after severe damage. It is therefore important for diabetic patients to have their eyes checked regularly.