Health Advice
- Weight Management
- Quit Smoking
- Acne
- Child Health
- Pain
- Oral Care & Hygiene
- Aneurysm, abdominal aortic
- Tummy ache
- Abscess
- Periods, absent
- First aid
- Reflux
- Blackheads
- Acupuncture
- Gallbladder, inflammation
- Leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic
- Leukaemia, acute myeloid
- Addiction
- Addison's disease
- Adenoids and adenoidectomy
- Frozen shoulder
- Agoraphobia
- Air embolism
- Alcohol misuse
- Alcohol poisoning
- Alexander technique
- Rhinitis, allergic
- Indoor allergy
- Mountain sickness
- Alzheimer's disease
- Lazy eye
- Macular degeneration
- Memory loss
- Amniocentesis
- Amputation
- Motor neurone disease
- Steroid misuse
- Iron deficiency anaemia
- Vitamin B12 or folate deficiency anaemia
- Anaesthesia
- Anal fissure
- Brain aneurysm
- Angelman syndrome
- Anger management
- Angina
- Angioedema
- Arteriography
- Stent insertion
- Dog bites
- Fractured ankle
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Anorexia nervosa
- Smell sense, loss of
- Antacid medicines
- Penicillin
- Anticoagulant medicines
- Antidepressants
- Antifungal medicines
- Antihistamines
- NSAIDs
- Antisocial personality disorder
- Hypochondria
- Anxiety disorders in children
- Stress
- Appendicitis
- Wrist, broken
- Arterial thrombosis
- Arthritis
- Asbestosis
- Asthma
- Astigmatism
- Eczema
- Atrial fibrillation
- Hearing tests
- Bird flu
- B12 vitamin deficiency
- Skin rashes in babies
- Weaning
- Lumbago (low back pain)
- Septic arthritis
- Halitosis (bad breath)
- Weight loss surgery
- Barium enema
- Bartholin's cyst
- Pressure ulcers
- Bedbugs
- Nocturnal enuresis
- Behçet’s disease
- Facial paralysis
- Tongue pain or soreness
- Prostate enlargement
- Beta-blockers
- Bicarbonate test
- Binge eating
- Biopsy
- Bipolar disorder
- Spider bite
- Eye, black
- Bladder cancer
- Cystitis
- Bladder stones
- Blisters
- Blood donation
- Blood gases test
- Blood groups
- Coughing up blood
- Semen, bloody
- Urine, blood in the
- Vomiting blood
- Septicaemia
- Hypertension
- Low blood pressure
- Blood tests
- Blood transfusion
- Blushing
- Bromhidrosis (body odour)
- Bone cyst
- DXA scan
- Bone marrow donation
- Stem cell transplant
- Borderline personality disorder
- Bottle feeding
- Botulism
- Rectal cancer
- Polyps, bowel
- Leaky gut syndrome
- Orthodontics
- Brain abscess
- Head injury, severe
- Brain tumour, benign (non-cancerous)
- Brain tumour, malignant (cancerous)
- Brain tumours
- Breast abscess
- Breast cancer
- Male breast cancer
- Screening for breast cancer
- Nipple discharge
- Mastitis
- Breast lump
- Breastfeeding
- Shortness of breath
- Osteoporosis
- Fractured collarbone
- Hip fracture
- Leg, broken
- Fractured nose
- Rib injuries
- Toe, broken
- Tooth, broken or knocked out
- Smelly feet (bromodosis)
- Bronchitis
- Teeth grinding
- Thyroid eye disease
- Bulimia
- Burns and scalds
- Heart bypass
- Caesarean section
- Food poisoning
- Cancer
- Thrush
- Thrush, men
- Thrush, oral - adults
- Thrush, oral - babies
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Cardiovascular disease
- Cartilage damage
- Nasal congestion
- Rib, cervical
- Smear test
- Sore lips
- Chemotherapy
- Chest infection, adult
- Chest pain
- Herpes zoster virus
- Statins
- Kidney disease, chronic
- Leukaemia, chronic lymphocytic
- Leukaemia, chronic myeloid
- Cirrhosis
- Claustrophobia
- Cluster headaches
- White coated tongue
- Gluten intolerance
- Herpes simplex virus
- Cold
- Colic
- Colostomy
- Coma
- Combined contraceptive pill
- Pneumonia
- CT scan
- Concussion
- Hole in the heart
- Heart failure
- Conjunctivitis
- Constipation
- Contact dermatitis
- Corns and calluses
- Coronary heart disease
- Vegetative state
- Topical corticosteroids
- Steroid medication
- Cosmetic surgery
- Cough
- Counselling
- Leg cramps
- Crohn's disease
- Swallowing pills (problems)
- Undescended testicles
- Lacerations
- Cystic fibrosis
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Dandruff
- Date rape drugs
- Thyroiditis
- Hearing impairment
- Dehydration
- Tooth abscess
- Teething
- Tooth decay
- Fluoride
- False teeth (dentures)
- Depression
- Dyspraxia in children
- Diabetes insipidus
- Diabetes
- Diabetic ketoacidosis
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Dialysis
- Traveller's diarrhoea
- Nutrition
- Rectal examination
- Double vision
- Nummular eczema
- Shoulder dislocation
- Diverticular disease and diverticulitis
- Lightheadedness
- Down's syndrome
- Dry eye syndrome
- Thirst
- Dyslexia
- Periods, painful
- Indigestion
- Swallowing problems
- Dyspraxia (adults)
- Swimmer's ear
- Earache
- Earwax
- Eating disorders
- Ebola virus disease
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Restless legs syndrome
- Endoscopy
- Threadworms
- Tennis elbow
- Epidural
- Epilepsy
- Watering eyes
- Nosebleed
- Impotence
- Tremor (essential)
- Ocular cancer
- Eye injuries
- Red eye
- Falls
- Family planning
- Fever, childhood
- Fibromyalgia
- Flat feet
- Wind
- Seasonal flu
- Nail patella syndrome
- Food allergy
- Foot pain
- Frostbite
- Gallstones
- Stomach removal surgery
- Gastroenteritis
- Gastritis
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- General anaesthetic
- Genetics
- Herpes, genital
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- Gestational diabetes
- Gum disease
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- Recurrent limb pain in children
- Iron overload disorder
- Haemophilia
- Haemophilus influenzae type b
- Piles (haemorrhoids)
- Ingrown hairs
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- Hamstring injury
- Hand pain
- Tendon repair, hand
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- Hangover
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- Head and neck cancer
- Head injury, minor
- Nits
- Headaches
- Hearing and vision tests for children
- Myocardial infarction
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- Heart transplant
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- Heat exhaustion and heatstroke
- Sweat rash
- Periods, heavy
- Hepatitis A
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- Hepatitis
- Herbal medicines
- Hernia, femoral
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- Herpes simplex eye infections
- Hip pain in adults
- Hip replacement
- HIV and AIDS
- Welts
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- Homeopathy
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Huntington's disease
- Rabies
- Hyperglycaemia
- Sweating, excessive (hyperhidrosis)
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- Sleepiness in the day (severe and unexplained)
- Thyroid, overactive
- Hypnotherapy
- Testosterone deficiency (hypogonadism)
- Underactive thyroid
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Painkillers, ibuprofen
- Shoulder tendon, trapped
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- Infertility
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- Ingrown toenail
- Inquest
- Insomnia
- Type 1 diabetes
- Intensive care
- IVF
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- knee-pain
- Knee replacement
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- Lung transplant
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- MRI scan
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- Male contraceptive pill
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- Mastectomy
- Rubeola
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- Moles
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- Mumps
- Muscular dystrophy
- Selective mutism
- Short-sightedness
- Nose and sinus cancer
- Polyps, nose
- Nasopharyngeal cancer
- Natural family planning
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy
- Peripheral neuropathy
- Night sweats
- Nightmares
- Rhinitis, non-allergic
- Type 2 diabetes
- Winter vomiting disease
- Obesity
- OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)
- Sleep apnoea
- Occupational therapy
- Swollen ankles
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- Periods, irregular
- Organ donation
- Orthopaedics (orthopaedic surgery)
- Osteoarthritis
- Rickets
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- Pacemaker implantation
- Shoulder pain
- Paracetamol
- Ulcerative colitis
- Pancreas transplant
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- Panic disorder
- Pins and needles
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- Pelvic pain
- Ulcer, peptic
- Ruptured eardrum
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- Periods
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- Whooping cough
- Strep throat
- Phobias
- Physiotherapy
- Pilonidal sinus
- Plastic surgery
- Pleurisy
- Pneumococcal infections
- Poisoning
- Reflux in babies
- Potassium test
- Pre-eclampsia
- Slipped disc
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- Prostate disease
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- Radiation
- Radiotherapy
- Red blood cell count
- Rheumatic fever
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Root canal treatment
- Roundworm
- Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
- Salivary stones
- Salmonella infection
- Scabies
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- Self-harm
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- Sexual health clinics
- STIs
- Shingles
- Social anxiety disorder (social phobia)
- Vomiting in children and babies
- Sinus headache
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- Skin rashes in children
- Sleep paralysis
- Sleepwalking
- Urine, smelly
- Snake bites
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- Spina bifida
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- Squint
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- Stye
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- Swollen glands
- Syphilis
- Tuberculosis (TB)
- Tension-type headaches
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- Thyroid cancer
- Tics
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- Tongue-tie
- Tonsillitis
- Toothache
- Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC or transferrin) test
- Total protein test
- Tourette's syndrome
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- Traction
- Travel vaccines
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- Urinary tract infection, children
- Urinary tract infection
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- Vitamins, minerals and supplements
- Vomiting in adults
- Warfarin
- Weight loss (unexpected and unplanned)
- Whiplash
- Wisdom tooth removal
- X-ray
- Yellow fever
- Bowel cancer screening
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Read moreSymptoms of diabetic retinopathy
(17/11/2014)
Diabetic retinopathy doesn't usually cause any noticeable symptoms until it has reached an advanced stage.
If retinopathy is not identified and treated, it can lead to sudden blindness.
This is why it's very important to attend regular screening appointments if you have diabetes.
Other symptoms of advanced retinopathy can include:
- shapes floating in your field of vision (floaters)
- blurred vision
- sudden vision loss
When to seek medical advice
If you have diabetes, you are 20 times more likely to develop vision problems than the rest of the population. Therefore, it's vital that you take any problems with your eyes seriously.
Contact your GP or diabetes care team immediately if you experience any of the symptoms listed above, or if you have any new problems with your eyesight.
Stages of diabetic retinopathy
The signs and symptoms of diabetic retinopathy become more serious as the condition progresses through the following stages:
- Stage one: background retinopathy – tiny bulges (microaneurysms) appear in the blood vessels of your eye, which can leak blood.
- Stage two: pre-proliferative retinopathy – more severe and widespread changes are seen in the retina, including bleeding into the retina.
- Stage three: proliferative retinopathy – new blood vessels and scar tissue will have formed on your retina, which can cause loss of vision.
- Stage four: advanced diabetic retinopathy – this can cause either bleeding into the eye, resulting in sudden loss of vision (vitreous haemorrhage), or retinal detachment (when the retina pulls away from the back of the eye).
Read more about the causes of diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetic maculopathy
People with diabetes may also suffer from changes to the blood vessels in the macula, which is the central area of the retina.
When the blood vessels in the macula are affected, this is known as diabetic maculopathy.
The vessels in the macula can become leaky and the blood pressure can force fluid, fats and protein out of the bloodstream and into the retina. This is known as macular oedema and causes some loss of vision in most cases.
Injection therapy can be given for severe cases of macular oedema (whereas oedema outside of the macula can be treated by laser).
Occasionally, the blood vessels in the macula become so narrowed that the macula is starved of oxygen and nutrition, causing your sight to get worse. This is called ischaemic maculopathy and does not usually respond to any type of treatment.