Protect Your Eyes from Diabetic Complications

Diabetes is a sight risk for millions of people in the United States. If you live with diabetes, taking extra care to monitor your eye health and vision is extremely important.

Your risk for eye diseases like cataracts and glaucoma increases when you have diabetes. Diabetes can also cause diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. Since diabetic eye diseases often don’t show symptoms until they begin to affect your eyesight, eye exams are often your first line of defense against them. Your next eye exam could help save your sight. Contact us now to make an appointment.

What Eye Diseases Can Diabetes Cause?

Diabetic Retinopathy & Diabetic Macular Edema

Diabetic retinopathy occurs when your blood sugar gets too high, damaging the blood vessels that keep your retina healthy. This disease is the leading cause of vision loss for those with diabetes, and eyesight lost to diabetic retinopathy is irreversible.

When diabetic retinopathy progresses without treatment, it can lead to swelling in the macula. The resulting condition is called diabetic macular edema, which can affect your central vision and prevent you from seeing clearly enough for many everyday activities.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a type of disease that damages the optic nerve. It is often (but not always) caused by high pressure within the eye. Many types of glaucoma exist, including open-angle, angle-closure, secondary, and childhood (congenital) glaucoma.

Diabetes significantly increases a person’s risk of developing open-angle glaucoma, which usually has no noticeable symptoms before vision loss begins. All types of glaucoma eventually lead to blindness without medical assistance.

Cataracts

Cataracts appear when the lens of the eye clouds over, obscuring vision. Most cataracts occur with age, but those with diabetes are more likely to experience them at younger ages.

Many cataracts can be surgically removed. In most cases, the affected lens is removed, and an artificial one is put in its place, allowing the patient to see clearly again.

How Often Do People with Diabetes Need Eye Exams?

People with diabetes should have annual eye exams to look for telltale signs of eye diseases before they can evolve into vision-threatening problems. An early diagnosis gives you and your eye doctor extra time to treat these conditions.

Occasionally, eye exams can also uncover evidence of diabetes in people who don’t know they have it. Regular eye exams support healthier eyes and clearer vision for everyone.

Ready for an eye exam? Book your appointment at our practice now.

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