The term diabetic retinopathy is defined as the eye condition that is found in the vast majority in subjects with diabetes mellitus, in particular type 2 (controllable with diet, which should contain little sugar, and physical activity). The possibility of developing retinal damage and other eye structures is about 20 times higher in individuals affected by the disease.
Most often affects people with diabetes between 25 and 60 years and typically occurs in the first period diabetic; but the chances of developing the disease increases exponentially when you contracted the disease for at least ten years.
Diabetics suffer from damage to the walls of blood vessels, in particular the microcirculation of various organs (mainly kidneys, heart, brain and eyes). This damage leads to a lack of adequate blood supply (and, hence, oxygen) to certain areas of the retina that, consequently, tend to die (become ischemic); before this happens issuing a factor of growth of new blood vessels that proliferate in an uncontrolled way, damage the retinal tissue itself.