The treatment of diabetic retinopathy depends on the extent of retinal damage and may include laser photocoagulation or vitrectomy. With laser photocoagulation, the ophthalmologist uses laser beams to seal microaneurysms stream. The vascular lens refracts and focuses images onto the retina.

The choroid, or middle coat, is made up of many arteries and veins. The retina, the innermost coat of the eyeball, is rich in neurons, including the rods and cones, which serve as visual receptors. The retina is connected to the optic nerve, which conducts visual information to the brain. The vitreous humor-a thick, gelatinous material-fills the space behind the lens. It maintains the shape of the eye­ball and placement of the retina. and thus reduce their risk of bleeding. Laser photocoagulation can also be used to control new blood vessel growth .

The ophthalmologist uses vitrectomy, a surgical procedure, to treat advanced complications of proliferative retinopathy, such as vitreous hemorrhage and tractional retinal detachment.

Vitrectomy requires the use of local or general anesthesia. To begin the procedure, the ophthalmologist makes a small incision behind the cornea. Then he removes blood and fibrous tissue from the vitreous humor and replaces them with another fluid, such as normal saline. A silicone oil or gas can be used to hold the retina in place.

Riskier than laser photocoagulation, vitrectomy can result in total vision loss. Because of this, vitrectomy is typically performed on patients with a high risk of complete vision loss - for example, those with bleeding into the vitreous humor and some vision loss that hasn’t resolved after 6 months.