Loading ...Since it is August, now is a good time to learn a little bit more about this subject. Although many people have heard of diabetic retinopathy, they may not know how it happens, how to prevent it, and how to treat it. As the leading cause of blindness among adults, it is something worth considering.
Diabetic Blindness: Why Does it Happen?
Diabetic blindness affects the retina–the light sensitive portion at the back of the eye. This is the part of your eye that does the actual seeing–receiving the image and transmitting it to the brain. Diabetes can affect the tiny blood tissues that comprise the retina. When these blood tissues weaken and burst, a person’s vision is reduced, eventually leading to blindness or partial blindness. A person with diabetes may at first develop a mild case of diabetic retinopathy, not even realizing that they have the disease. The problem becomes progressively worse as time goes on.
What you should do: If you have diabetes, you are automatically at a higher risk for diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Schedule an eye exam once every year, and be sure that your eye doctor is aware that you have diabetes.
Diabetic Blindness: How do I keep it from happening?
Anyone who has diabetes – type 1 or type 2 – is automatically at higher risk for developing diabetic blindness. Thankfully, there are things that you can do to prevent or slow the onset of diabetic eye disease.
What you should do?
- As mentioned above, get a comprehensive, dilated eye exam once a year.
- Control your blood sugar vigilantly. All kinds of complications of diabetes can occur when you let your blood sugar levels go–including diabetic retinopathy. If you control your blood sugar levels, then you guard your entire health–nerve, kidney, blood vessels, and eyes included.
- Keep your cholesterol in check. A healthy cholesterol level is important for anyone, but especially for those who have diabetes and want to prevent diabetic blindness.
- Watch your blood pressure. Since diabetic retinopathy is a blood-related eye condition, blood pressure has a lot to do with it. Make sure that you are exercising, eating, and living in such a way that your blood sugar stays healthy.
- The moment you notice something unusual with your eyes, visit your eye doctor. The most advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy is called proliferative retinopathy. 95% of proliferative retinopathy cases can be prevented by immediately consulting a qualified caregiver and conducting proper eye treatment following the treatment.
Diabetic Blindness: How do I treat it?
Diabetic retinopathy does happen to some people. Is it treatable? Thankfully, yes. Eye doctors use a process known as scatter laser treatment on the damaged retina. The laser treatment is effective in restoring blood vessels to a smaller size. Scatter laser treatment requires thousands of tiny burns on the damaged area of the retina, so it is often necessary to have more than one treatment. For extensive cases of diabetic retinopathy, a surgical remedy called vitrectomy is usually necessary in order to reverse the effects of the retinal bleeding. Surgery and laser treatment have proven to be successful in restoring sight, although the level of sight may not be normal.
What you should do: If you or someone you know has an advanced case of retinopathy, consult your eye doctor immediately to discuss treatment.
As you enter the month of August, Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, be sure to take any necessary steps to prevent complications of diabetes that could affect your eyesight. Tell others, especially young adults and children with diabetes, how they can protect their eyesight and keep their vision for the rest of their lives.
By: Daniel Threlfall
http://www.opticaldelights.com
