Your Eyes & Diabetes
In the United States, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in people under the age of 65. Diabetes can cause a wide range of vision problems, ranging from mildly blurred vision (due to fluctuating blood sugar levels) to irreversible vision loss (from damage to the retina or optic nerve). Fortunately, early detection and careful monitoring can reduce the risk of vision loss due to diabetes.
What is Diabetic Eye Disease?
Diabetic Eye Disease is not a single disease, but rather, is the name for a group of eye problems that can result from having Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. These problems include:
Diabetic Retinopathy - The retina is the layer of nerve tissue at the back of the eye that captures the image of what you are looking at (much like the film in a camera) and then sends that information to the brain, resulting in the image you see. High blood-sugar levels from diabetes can damage the small blood vessels in the retina and result in incomplete or blurry images. This damage is called diabetic retinopathy. In the early stages of this disease there may be few or no obvious symptoms; however, your eye doctor can see early damage during a dilated eye exam, so annual eye exams are critical for diabetic patients.
Cataracts – Over time, the lens inside the eye can become clouded, blurring vision and making it more difficult to see in low lighting. This clouding of the lens is called a cataract. Cataracts typically develop in older adults, but people with diabetes tend to get cataracts at a younger age than the general population and to have them progress faster than is typical in non-diabetic patients.
Glaucoma – Glaucoma occurs when pressure builds up inside the eye. People with diabetes are 40% more likely to suffer from glaucoma than people without diabetes. The longer someone has had diabetes, the more likely he or she is to develop glaucoma.
Who is at Risk?
Anyone who has diabetes has a higher risk of vision complications than someone without diabetes. The severity of diabetic eye disease is not always linked to the control of your blood sugar. However, the longer someone has been diabetic, the more likely it becomes that he or she will experience vision complications
Symptoms of Diabetic Eye Disease
Often there are no symptoms in the early stages of diabetic eye disease, so it is important that you don't wait for symptoms to appear before having a comprehensive eye exam. However, if you suddenly see specks or spots floating in your vision, experience blurred or double vision, experience pain or a feeling of pressure in the eye(s), or notice any change in your vision that lasts for more than a couple of days, you should see your eye doctor immediately.
Treatment
For diabetic retinopathy, laser surgery is the most common form of treatment. There are also medications that can be injected directly into the eye to shrink abnormal blood vessel growth and decrease swelling within the retina.
Cataracts are commonly treated by surgically removing the clouded natural lens within the eye and replacing it with a clear, artificial lens. Cataract surgery is the most common vision surgery in the United States and is typically performed on an outpatient basis.
Glaucoma treatment may consist of the use of medications delivered daily in eye drop form, or may be treated surgically through the use of a laser or other surgical procedure.
Protecting Your Vision
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you should have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year, and more often if you have been diagnosed with some form of diabetic eye disease. Remember, early detection and treatment of diabetic eye disease will dramatically reduce your chances of sustaining permanent vision loss.
