Keeping Sight of Your Risks
Last month, millions of people throughout
Europe, the Middle East and India eagerly viewed the total solar eclipse.
They protected their eyes from the sun's harmful rays by wearing protective
lenses to avoid eye damage and blindness. For an estimated 135 million
people worldwide living with diabetes, protecting their eyes from potential
damage is an on-going concern year-round.
Diabetes is a serious disease with severe
complications ranging from heart disease to blindness. While diabetes
remains the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people ages 20-74,
there is good news. Loss of vision and blindness can be delayed and even
prevented by scheduling routine eye exams and timely intervention with
medical treatments. Remember, you can control your diabetes instead of
letting it control you.
Knowing your risks
People with diabetes and hypertension are at
a greater risk for vision loss problems. Routine eye exams are recommended
bi-annually for people six to 60 years of age and annually for those 61 and
over. What should you be looking for? The following eye diseases are some of
the common optical complications found in people with diabetes:
Diabetic Retinopathy
This vision problem is caused by damage to
the small blood vessels in the retina (the light sensing tissue in the back
of the eye). Although the exact cause of this damage remains unknown,
experts believe that poorly controlled blood glucose levels are related to
its progression. The risk of diabetic retinopathy increases with time for
people with diabetes. After 20 years, nearly all patients with type 1
diabetes and over 50 percent of those with type 2 experience some degree of
retinopathy. The early stages of diabetic retinopathy may cause blurred
vision, or may produce no visual symptoms at all. As the disease progresses,
you may notice a cloudiness of vision, blind spots or floaters. If diagnosed
in its early stages, the progression of diabetic retinopathy can be reduced
by laser and other surgical treatments.
Glaucoma
This optical disorder is an eye disease in
which the internal pressure in the eyes increases enough to damage the nerve
fibers in the optic nerve and causes vision loss. In the United States,
glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness. The disease usually
has few symptoms and is a special threat to those who do not have routine
eye exams. Symptoms include: blurry vision, halos around lights, and
difficulty seeing in dim settings. If treated adequately in its early
stages, the progress of glaucoma may be controlled with medicine or surgery
before serious visual damage occurs.
Keeping one step ahead of complications
The most important tool for treating diabetes
and its complications, including diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, is
properly managing your diabetes. According to the United Kingdom Prospective
Diabetes Study in 1998, keeping tight control of blood glucose and blood
pressure levels is critically important in helping prevent eye complications
and in slowing the progression of visual complications.
Prevention is Key
As your quality of vision decreases, so may
your quality of life. The results are in and the evidence is clear:
prevention is key. Take control. Schedule routine eye exams and see your
doctor if you are experiencing vision problems. Remember that by maintaining
good health through diet, exercise and proper medical treatment, people with
diabetes can delay and even prevent some of the vision problems closely
associated with diabetes.
