What are the grades of Hypertensive Retinopathy:
Retina is a well vascularized area. In conditions like hypertension these vessels constrict causing damage to the retina. The constriction can be due to very high acute increase or chronic consistent increase. This leads to exudative vascular changes, endothelial changes and necrosis or vessel wall thickening. Symptoms usually seen late in the disease as blurred vision or visual field defects. The condition is diagnosed by fundoscopy. On fundoscopy ratio between arterial to veins thickness is low. Flame shapped hemmorhages, white spots of ischemia (cotton wool spots) and optic disc edema is also seen in late disease. Management is hypertensive control, intrvitreal steroid injections and antivascular endothelial growth factor drugs like ranibizumab, pegaptanib or bevacizumab.
