Seeing the Light: Tips for Diabetic Eye Care
There’s good news and bad news when it comes to diabetes and your vision. The bad news is that people with diabetes do have a higher risk of blindness. The good news is that with proper diabetic eye care, most people with diabetes experience nothing more than minor eye disorders.
And, with the right diabetic eye care products and advances in diabetic retinopathy treatment, minor problems can remain minor. The key to diabetic eye care is to treat any eye problems quickly.
“What Problems Could I Have?”
Glaucoma — People with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to suffer from glaucoma. Risk increases with age and the amount of time you have had diabetes.
Cataracts — People with diabetes are 60 percent more likely to develop cataracts and to get them at a younger age.
Retinopathy — Diabetic retinopathy is a general term for disorders of the retina — the nerve layer of tissue at the back of your eye — caused by diabetes. High blood sugar is the cause. Early diagnosis and proper diabetic retinopathy treatment can prevent vision loss.
Several factors influence whether you get retinopathy. These include your blood sugar control, your blood pressure levels, how long you have had diabetes and your genes.
The longer you’ve had diabetes, the more likely you are to have retinopathy. Almost everyone with type 1 diabetes will eventually have nonproliferative retinopathy. And most people with type 2 diabetes will also get it. But the retinopathy that destroys vision, proliferative retinopathy, is far less common.
People who keep their blood sugar levels closer to normal are less likely to have retinopathy or to have milder forms.
Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment
Huge strides have been made in diabetic retinopathy treatment. Laser treatments prevent blindness in most people. And the sooner retinopathy is diagnosed, the more likely these treatments will be successful. The best results occur when sight is still normal.
Keep your glucose under control. The number-one step in diabetic eye care: keeping your blood sugar levels under tight control. In the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial, people on standard diabetes treatment got retinopathy four times as often as people who kept their blood sugar levels close to normal.
Get checkups at least once a year. For proper diabetic eye care, see your eye care professional at least once a year for a dilated eye exam. You should also have a dilated eye exam if you are pregnant or planning to get pregnant. Note that only optometrists and ophthalmologists can detect the signs of retinopathy, an only ophthalmologists can provide diabetic retinopathy treatment.
Be on the lookout for symptoms. Make an appointment to see your eye doctor if you experience any visual problems or notice any changes in your vision, such as:
- One or both of your eyes hurt or you feel pressure in your eye.
- Your eyes get red and stay that way.
- You see spots or floaters.
- Straight lines do not look straight.
- You can’t see things at the side as well as you used to.
Seek medical care for your eyes immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- Blurring of vision
- Black spots
- Flashes of light
The Bottom Line on Diabetic Eye Care
Diabetic eye care can seem complicated. But the truth is that simple steps such as following a healthy eating plan, being active a total of 30 minutes most days, taking your medicines as directed and checking your blood glucose every day can go a along way to keeping your diabetes under control — and your eyes healthy.
Tags: diabetic eye care, diabetic eye care products, diabetic retinopathy treatment
