8. Diabetic Foot – Care And HBOT Poor blood supply to the nerves of the legs results in diabetic neuropathy in which patient complains of loss of sensation, pain and tingling in one/both legs. The foot becomes vulnerable to wounds that do not heal resulting in ulcers. Amputation is done to save the limb in such cases. At Diabetic centres, patients are taught proper foot-care, early wound detection and its management. Hyperbaric (HBOT) is the latest technique to treat stubborn un-healing ulcers. Poor blood circulation causes poor oxygen supply to the wound leading to delayed healing. Pressurised pure oxygen is supplied to the wound-bed to facilitate healing in HBOT.
9. Diabetic Vascular Diseases Diabetes makes small and big arteries vulnerable to thickening. Increased plaque formation causes narrowing of arteries (Atherosclerosis) affecting the blood supply to the heart, brain, kidney, eyes, nerves primarily. Treatment of vascular diseases involves bypass grafting, stenting, angioplasty to removal of blockages and surgeries to correct retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy.
10. Diabetic Eye Disorders
Diabetic retinopathy refers to eye diseases primarily caused by long-term, high and uncontrolled blood sugar levels, leading to damage of blood vessels in the retina. The longer a person has diabetes, the higher their chances of developing diabetic retinopathy and increased risk of developing cataract (clouding of eye’s lens) and glaucoma (increase in fluid pressure inside the eye), leading to optic nerve damage and loss of vision.
Signs & Symptoms Many people with early diabetic retinopathy have no symptoms before major bleeding occurs in the eye, the same holding true for proliferative retinopathy as well. At this advanced stage, there is high risk for vision loss. About half of the people with proliferative retinopathy also have Macular Oedema, where fluid leaks into the centre of the macula, causing blurred vision. This can also develop without any symptoms whatsoever. Don’t wait for symptoms, because it may be too late to save complete vision.
But some of the symptoms given below may occur:

- Blurred vision and slow vision loss over time
- Floating opaque spots
- Shadows or missing areas of vision
- Trouble seeing at night
- Sudden bleeding from the eye
Treatment of Diabetic retinopathy Better control of blood sugar levels, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels slows the onset and progression of retinopathy Proliferative retinopathy is treated with scatter laser treatment If the bleeding is severe, a surgical procedure called a vitrectomy, is employed to remove the blood from the centre of the eye. It may also be used to repair retinal detachment Low vision services and devices may be used to help those who have already suffered some vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy