Diabetics are at a significantly increased risk for developing a wide range eye problems, including the potential for vision loss.
Diabetic Eye Disease
Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of eye conditions that can affect people with diabetes or pre-diabetes, as well as individuals with prolonged high blood sugar levels. These conditions all have the potential to cause severe and permanent vision loss or blindness. Diabetic eye disease includes the following conditions:
- Diabetic retinopathy is damage to the blood vessels in the retina and is often a sign of damage to other organs
- Cataracts are the clouding of the lens of the eye, which often develops earlier in diabetics
- Glaucoma is an increase in fluid pressure inside the eye, leading to optic nerve damage. Vision loss is twice as likely to develop in a diabetic than in someone without diabetes
Prevention
Because diabetic eye disease often presents no warning signs, finding and treating it is challenging. If you have diabetes, make sure you have a dilated eye exam to allow your doctor to see the inside of your eyes and check for signs of disease at least once a year.
Keeping your diabetes under control is the best way to control the development or progression of diabetic eye disease. Watch your diet, exercise, monitor your blood sugar levels and take your diabetes medications. If you have already been diagnosed and treated for diabetic eye disease and are still experiencing vision problems, be sure to follow up with your doctor as soon as possible. If you are at high risk for diabetes and begin experiencing changes in your vision, especially blurred vision, having an eye exam and being tested for diabetes is extremely important. Read Full Article
