What is diabetic retinopathy?

The retina of the eye consists mainly of nerve cells and blood vessels. It is supplied with nutrients and oxygen by small, sensitive blood vessels (capillaries). Poorly controlled diabetes (wrong or too low insulin levels) as well as high blood pressure, nicotine use, poor cholesterol levels, or hormonal disorders can lead to a chronic circulatory disorder of the retina, and thus to the development of retinopathy. Affected patients often see only blurry images or many black spots. While sudden deterioration of vision can occur when fluid leaks from the already damaged vessel walls, diabetic retinopathy generally develops gradually. If left untreated, it can lead to blindness.

Retinopathy affects almost all Type 1 diabetics and over half of all Type 2 diabetics. Since there is no drug treatment for the disease, diabetics should take prophylactic care to ensure that their blood sugar is optimally controlled by their insulin injections and that additional risk factors are reduced: blood pressure and cholesterol levels must be within the normal range, and the patient should not smoke. Diabetics should also have their eyes checked regularly by an ophthalmologist.

SAVIR therapy is a holistic treatment using daily microcurrent stimulations that have been proven in clinical studies to be a safe and effective means of restoring visual performance, even when the optic nerve has been damaged. SAVIR therapy improves blood flow to the retina and brain, thereby improving visual performance. In addition, the therapy influences the plasticity of the brain and thereby reorganizes its neuronal networks, so that visual signal processing in the brain can also improve.