Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment Cost and Financing Guide

Diabetic retinopathy is a serious, progressive condition that can cause vision loss in people with diabetes. It results from damage to the blood vessels in the retina, often without any early warning symptoms.¹

Untreated diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of new blindness in American adults aged 20 to 74.² Anyone with any type of diabetes is at risk.¹

Dilated eye exams can detect signs of diabetic retinopathy even before you experience symptoms.¹ Early detection and treatment can reduce the risk of vision loss by 95 percent.³

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Uncontrolled blood sugar can damage small blood vessels throughout your body, including in the retina. The retina is a membrane in the back of the eyes that detects light and sends signals to your brain via the optic nerve.

High sugar levels can cause these blood vessels to bleed or leak fluid. As a result, the retinal tissue begins to swell, causing cloudy or blurred vision, usually in both eyes.

Early diagnosis and treatment can improve vision. If left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can cause permanent changes to the shape of the lens in the eye. In its advanced stage, it can cause blindness.

How Much Does Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment Cost?

Treatment for diabetic retinopathy depends on the severity of the changes in the eye and the type of eye problems being experienced. The treatment options include injection therapy, macular laser surgery, corticosteroids, scatter laser surgery and vitrectomy. However, the cost of these treatments can vary widely from a couple of hundred dollars to several thousand.

The cost of laser therapy for diabetic retinopathy, for example, ranges from $744-$2,396,^4,5 while corticosteroids can range in cost from $500 to $1,000.⁶ Anti-VEGF drugs, or injection drugs for diabetic retinopathy, range in average price from $50^6,7,8 to $2,000^6,7,8 depending on the healthcare provider or facility where the injections are administered.

Diabetic Retinopathy Stages

There are two main stages of diabetic retinopathy:

1. Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) – NDPR is the early stage of the condition and can be classified as mild, moderate, or severe. During this stage, symptoms are nonexistent or mild. In NDPR, the retina's blood vessels weaken and tiny bulges form, causing fluid to leak into the retina. This can cause the center portion of your retina (macula) to swell.
2. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) – PDR is the most advanced of the diabetic retinopathy stages. During this stage, new abnormal blood vessels grow within the retina. Left untreated, PDR can severely impair vision or lead to complete blindness.

Diabetic Retinopathy Symptoms

You can have diabetic retinopathy and not even know it because it often doesn't cause symptoms in the early stage. When symptoms do develop, they're often mild³ and easily brushed off as typical age-related vision changes.

Diabetic retinopathy symptoms usually affect both eyes.

You may notice changes to your vision such as:

• More eye floaters
• Blank or dark spots in your line of vision
• Blurred vision
• Poor night vision
• Trouble distinguishing colors
• Loss of vision

Complications From Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy can lead to serious complications and blindness without prompt treatment.

These potential complications include:

• Diabetic macular edema (DME) – DME happens when the blood vessels in the retina leak fluid and cause the macula to swell. Around half of all people with diabetic retinopathy will develop DME.
• Neovascular glaucoma – This type of glaucoma can develop when abnormal blood vessels grow over the part of your eye where fluid would normally drain. The buildup of fluid causes pressure in the eye that can damage the optic nerve.
• Retinal detachment – Diabetic retinopathy can cause scar tissue to form in the back of the eye. The scars can pull the retina away from the back of the eye and cause it to detach.
• Vision loss – If allowed to progress, diabetic retinopathy, neovascular glaucoma, or both can cause blindness.

Diagnosing Diabetic Retinopathy

A diabetic retinopathy diagnosis requires a comprehensive dilated eye exam. Routine eye exams are recommended for people with diabetes because of the risk of diabetic retinopathy and other eye diseases. A comprehensive eye exam involves a series of tests to evaluate your vision and check for eye diseases.

Read Related: 9 Types of Eye Tests That Are Part of a Healthy Eye Exam

Your doctor will begin with your medical history to determine if you've been diagnosed with diabetes, and if so, how it's being managed. They'll also want to know about any symptoms you've been experiencing.

For the eye exam, your doctor will use eye drops to dilate your pupils for a better look at the inside of your eyes to detect abnormalities, such as new blood vessels or scars, or swelling.

The doctor may order additional eye tests, including:

• Fluorescein angiography takes images of your eyes as a dye (injected into the arm) circulates through the eyes' blood vessels to pinpoint broken, leaking, or blocked blood vessels.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) produces cross-sectional images of your retina so your doctor can check its thickness and determine if fluid has leaked inside.

Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment

Diabetic retinopathy treatment depends on how advanced the condition is.

In the early stages, diabetic retinopathy treatment may only involve monitoring with dilated eye exams every two to four months until symptoms appear.

Managing your diabetes can help slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy. You may be referred to an endocrinologist to help you do this.

In advanced diabetic retinopathy stages, treatment depends on the severity of the disease and may include:

• Injections – Diabetic retinopathy injection treatment involves injecting medication called VEGF inhibitors into the eye to block the formation of new blood vessels. Corticosteroid injections are also sometimes used to reduce inflammation in the macula.
• Photocoagulation – This type of diabetic retinopathy laser treatment helps shrink and seal blood vessels so they stop leaking.
• Eye surgery – Diabetic retinopathy vitrectomy is a surgical procedure that is used to replace the cloudy vitreous fluid in the eye and repair sources of bleeding in the retina.

Preventing Diabetic Retinopathy

You can prevent diabetic retinopathy by keeping your blood pressure in check and maintaining healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Keeping on top of your doctor appointments and taking your medication as directed can help you do this.

Making certain lifestyle changes can help, too, such as:

• Eating a healthy diet¹
• Engaging in regular, moderate-intensity exercise five days per week
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Quitting smoking
• Getting comprehensive dilated eye exams every year or as often as your doctor recommends

Early detection and treatment of diabetic retinopathy may help you save your vision, and routine eye exams are the best way to do this.

Financing For Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment with the CareCredit Credit Card

Whether you're needing eye surgery or getting an eye exam, the CareCredit credit card can help you pay for care where your insurance leaves off.* Apply today and use our Acceptance Locator to find a vision specialist near you that accepts CareCredit. Continue your wellness journey by downloading the CareCredit Mobile App to manage your account, find a provider on the go, and easily access the Well U hub for more great articles, podcasts, and videos.