The Diabetic Eye

By Author: Sushrut Ayurved
Total Articles: 12
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Diabetic patients have to exercise careful control because high blood sugar levels over a long time can impact almost every part of the body. Some of the major organs that are at risk are the patient’s eyes, heart and kidneys.

Eyes
One of the most observed effects of long term high blood sugar levels is
Diabetic Retinopathy : The high sugar levels damage the tiny blood vessels in the retina of the eye. To counter this the eye tries to grow new blood vessels, but these can be weak and break easily spilling blood or fluid which can cause scarring of the retina and long term vision loss.
The other possible complications are
Macular Oedema : fluid builds up in a part of the retina called macula which is responsible for straight-vision needed for reading, writing, identifying faces etc.
Cataracts : the natural lens of the eye becomes cloudy. Diabetics patients are 3 to 4 times more likely to develop cataracts
Glaucoma : pressure builds up on the optic nerve connecting the eye to the brain and can damage it causing permanent vision loss.

The easiest way to save yourself from ...
... any eye damage from diabetes is to ensure that your sugar levels strictly stay within the expected range i.e. proper management of diabetes. The other steps you can take are:
Get your eyes checked by an eye doctor about once a year. Retinopathy, if detected early enough, can be partially reversed or vision loss reduced.
Manage your blood pressure along with your sugar levels. Controlling BP lowers the risk of eye complications caused by diabetes.
Watch for the following warning signs and get prompt treatment
- blurry, cloudy or double vision.
- pain, irritation or constant redness of eyes
- blank, dark or floating spots in vision
- trouble seeing out of the corner of your eye
- any sudden change in your vision.
Quit smoking. Smoking contributes to blood vessel damage which can add to the risk of diabetes caused eye problems.

Diabetes control and taking care of your eyes can go hand in hand. Follow the above suggestions and keep the risk of developing eye problems at bay.