ABSTRACT
The retina is particularly vulnerable to the effects of vascular dysfunction due to the non-fenestrated blood supply. The retinal vasculature is also vulnerable to any systemic disease that affects the blood vessels in the body, such as hyper-tension and diabetes. The most common retinal vascular disease is diabetic retinopathy, an ophthalmic complication from diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults in the United States. Vision loss in diabetic retinopathy is due to slow damage to the retinal capillaries caused by high blood sugar. Specifically, the inner blood-retina barrier's tight junction bonds slowly loosen, due to loss of pericytes, causing leaks and hemorrhage. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a progressive disease. It starts with the loss of integrity of the retinal capillary structure with microaneurysms, the hallmark of diabetic retinopathy, developing as outpouchings of the capillary wall due to damaged supporting structures in the basement membrane from hyperglycemia.
