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Your Eye Health When You Have Diabetes

Tuesday, November 15th, 2022, 7:07 am

Man taking blood sample with lancet pen indoors. Diabetes affects all aspects of your life and health, as you have probably realized if you or a loved one has the disease. You need to pay special attention to any signs of problems with your health – here are some ways that diabetes can affect your eye health and your vision.

Diabetes can result in these serious problems

Diabetes is the primary cause of blindness in adults, but it can cause other issues with the eyes that you should be aware of. Over 40% of patients with diabetes will develop an eye disease, such as

• Glaucoma, which is when fluid builds up in the eye. The resulting pressure damages the eye and affects vision.

• Retinopathy, which is known as “diabetic retinopathy” in patients with diabetes. It is the result of high blood sugar levels, which cause damage to the blood vessels in the back of the eye (the retina). If blood sugar levels are kept under control the risk of getting retinopathy is lowered, but if not it can cause blindness.

• Cataracts, which are very common even in patients who don’t have diabetes. However, if you do have diabetes you might get cataracts earlier in life than is typical, and they can quickly become very serious.

• Blurry vision, caused by high blood sugar making your lenses swell.

Unfortunately, you can develop a diabetic eye condition and not even really know there’s a problem – some conditions don’t cause pain or vision loss right away. That’s why it is so important to have your eyes examined at least once a year if you are diabetic. However, you should see your doctor right away if you have black spots in your vision, start seeing flashes of light, or notice sudden blurred vision.

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, make sure that you let your eye doctor know, and make sure you have your eyes checked at least once a year. The staff at Marion Eye Center and Optical wants to make sure your eyes are as healthy as they can be. Contact the office in Illinois (800-344-7058) or the office in Missouri (877-269-4545) for an appointment today!

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Category: diabetic retinopathy


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