Diabetes and your Eye Health

Diabetes refers to a condition in which your body can’t produce insulin or does not produce enough insulin. Insulin breaks down and deliver sugar or glucose to cells in the body to generate energy. If there is no insulin to break down the sugar in your body, the sugar builds up. It is known as hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia can affect every part of your body, including your eyes. Diabetes can lead to blurry vision in several ways; it is often one of the first warning signs of diabetes.

When blurry vision occurs, it is usually hard to make out fine details in what you are seeing. It may be a sign that your glucose level is not in the right range?either too high or too low. Blurred vision can also occur when you start insulin treatment due to shifting fluids in your eye lens but, it generally resolves after a few weeks. For many people, their vision stabilizes when their blood sugar level becomes normal.

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication caused by high blood sugar levels that damage the back of the eye called the retina. It causes blindness if left undiagnosed, leading to the formation of new blood vessels on the retina. It takes several years for diabetic retinopathy to get to the point of threatening your sight. To minimize the risk, people with diabetes should ensure that they:

Keep blood pressure within normal limits
Control their blood sugar levels
Watch your cholesterol
Get educated and keep your diabetic eye screening appointments.

You are at greater risk if you have had diabetes for a long time, have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and pregnant. When you keep your blood sugar and blood pressure levels under control, you can reduce your chance of developing diabetic retinopathy.

These symptoms may not mean that you have diabetic retinopathy, but it’s necessary to get them checked by your eye doctor. Call Accent Eyes for an ocular diabetic health screening. Your eyes are worth the investment.