There are many myths surrounding diabetes, and it can be hard to determine what is true and what is not. Many patients want to know if diabetes will really make them go blind. The fact is that the disease can certainly cause blindness, and is one of the top causes of blindness among adults. Equally important, however, is the realization that proper testing and eye care can often prevent the condition from occurring.
The vision problem that causes blindness in diabetics is also known as retinopathy. Retinopathy is damage to the eye due to blood flow problems. It causes decreased vision and when left untreated leads to blindness.
When your blood sugar is not well controlled, the blood vessels in the eye become weak. This leaks fluid into the part of the eye responsible for vision. Eventually the blood vessels close off, stopping blood flow to the retina. As the disease progresses, new blood vessels form. These vessels are quite fragile and bleed into the eyes causing severe vision problems and blindness.
Retinopathy occurs in approximately 8% of patients in the first three years, with statistics rising to one quarter after five years and jumping to 80% after approximately fifteen years of being diagnosed with diabetes of any form. These percentages are quite large, but they do not mean that the same percentage of patients will go blind. They point instead to the reasons you should be tested annually for the problem.
When you have your vision checked annually, your eye doctor will be able to catch retinopathy in the early stages. In this stage, the condition is easily treatable. Controlling your blood sugar can also prevent the condition or help delay the onset and progression. It is very important to contact your eye doctor if you experience any vision changes including blurriness or trouble seeing clearly.
Blindness is still considered a side effect of diabetes even though it is preventable. Many patients do not have their vision tested often enough or fail to report symptoms. When you are diagnosed with diabetes, it becomes imperative that you have annual vision tests. When retinopathy is diagnosed early, it can be treated before symptoms become permanent and severe. Your vision is very important to your quality of life. If you are experiencing blurred vision or have not recently had your vision tested, seeking an eye exam is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Lately, the leading cause of blindness is diabetes. This should all the more spur us to manage diabetes properly. Sure, it will take time and effort, but it will be worth it.
While it is true that facts about diabetes say common eye conditions like farsightedness and nearsightedness are not due to high blood glucose, there is a condition that's exacerbated by it. What is it, you asked? It's cataract. Others say though that nearsightedness or myopia happens when high glucose levels result in the buildup of chemicals in the lens of the eye.
You see, abrupt changes in the blood sugar can cause the lens to swell up a little bit and this makes the vision blurry. Facts about diabetes give the assurance this is only temporary because once the blood sugar stabilizes, the blurry vision should go away. Consult with the doctor if it doesn't.
Make sure you tell the doctor you have diabetes and that your blood sugar has been fluctuating. This way he will be in the know and may suggest to wait till your blood sugar stabilizes to see if you need eyeglasses. The important thing here is to control blood sugar because if it stays high for a number of years, it can cause blindness. This we learned from the facts about diabetes that we have been researching.
Facts about diabetes have more surprises for us. One is that diabetics should be aware of dry eye syndrome. Often they don't know this because they do not feel the symptoms. Diabetes can affect the eye nerves. So ask the doctor to check the eye surface for signs of dry eye syndrome. But let's list the symptoms anyway. It does not hurt to know what they are:
Unpreserved artificial tears and ointments may help those suffering from more severe dry eye syndrome. Use the ointments though before going to bed because the vision will be blurry as a result.
Early detection is crucial. Eyesight is such a precious commodity, special care is the key especially diabetics are prone to having cataracts which is a state in which the lens are cloudy and milky. They are also at risk for glaucoma.
The vision problem that causes blindness in diabetics is also known as retinopathy. Retinopathy is damage to the eye due to blood flow problems. It causes decreased vision and when left untreated leads to blindness.
When your blood sugar is not well controlled, the blood vessels in the eye become weak. This leaks fluid into the part of the eye responsible for vision. Eventually the blood vessels close off, stopping blood flow to the retina. As the disease progresses, new blood vessels form. These vessels are quite fragile and bleed into the eyes causing severe vision problems and blindness.
Retinopathy occurs in approximately 8% of patients in the first three years, with statistics rising to one quarter after five years and jumping to 80% after approximately fifteen years of being diagnosed with diabetes of any form. These percentages are quite large, but they do not mean that the same percentage of patients will go blind. They point instead to the reasons you should be tested annually for the problem.
When you have your vision checked annually, your eye doctor will be able to catch retinopathy in the early stages. In this stage, the condition is easily treatable. Controlling your blood sugar can also prevent the condition or help delay the onset and progression. It is very important to contact your eye doctor if you experience any vision changes including blurriness or trouble seeing clearly.
Blindness is still considered a side effect of diabetes even though it is preventable. Many patients do not have their vision tested often enough or fail to report symptoms. When you are diagnosed with diabetes, it becomes imperative that you have annual vision tests. When retinopathy is diagnosed early, it can be treated before symptoms become permanent and severe. Your vision is very important to your quality of life. If you are experiencing blurred vision or have not recently had your vision tested, seeking an eye exam is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
Lately, the leading cause of blindness is diabetes. This should all the more spur us to manage diabetes properly. Sure, it will take time and effort, but it will be worth it.
While it is true that facts about diabetes say common eye conditions like farsightedness and nearsightedness are not due to high blood glucose, there is a condition that's exacerbated by it. What is it, you asked? It's cataract. Others say though that nearsightedness or myopia happens when high glucose levels result in the buildup of chemicals in the lens of the eye.
You see, abrupt changes in the blood sugar can cause the lens to swell up a little bit and this makes the vision blurry. Facts about diabetes give the assurance this is only temporary because once the blood sugar stabilizes, the blurry vision should go away. Consult with the doctor if it doesn't.
Make sure you tell the doctor you have diabetes and that your blood sugar has been fluctuating. This way he will be in the know and may suggest to wait till your blood sugar stabilizes to see if you need eyeglasses. The important thing here is to control blood sugar because if it stays high for a number of years, it can cause blindness. This we learned from the facts about diabetes that we have been researching.
Facts about diabetes have more surprises for us. One is that diabetics should be aware of dry eye syndrome. Often they don't know this because they do not feel the symptoms. Diabetes can affect the eye nerves. So ask the doctor to check the eye surface for signs of dry eye syndrome. But let's list the symptoms anyway. It does not hurt to know what they are:
- Burning sensation
- Stinging sensation
- Gritty sensation
- Eye discomfort
- Wash the eyelids properly with a clean washcloth.
- Open and close the eye or blink regularly.
- Keep electric fans and car vents away from the eyes.
- Stay away from smoky places.
- Use artificial tears to calm down the eyes.
Unpreserved artificial tears and ointments may help those suffering from more severe dry eye syndrome. Use the ointments though before going to bed because the vision will be blurry as a result.
Early detection is crucial. Eyesight is such a precious commodity, special care is the key especially diabetics are prone to having cataracts which is a state in which the lens are cloudy and milky. They are also at risk for glaucoma.
Glaucoma is due to increased pressure in the back of the eye. If left unattended, this can lead to vision loss, headaches and pain in the eye. The most common is open-angle glaucoma which usually occurs in older people. The older and the longer one has diabetes, the greater is the chance to develop this.
The other type and the one that seems to affect diabetics is the neovascular glaucoma. This is more serious and usually develops in diabetics who have severe diabetic retinopathy. If detected early enough, it can be treated with laser surgery.
Remember that all of the aforementioned diseases can be treated with early detection. The trouble is, symptoms do not always happen so make it routine to see your eye doctor. Be sure that this eye specialist is part of the health care team.
2 komento:
Great thoughts you got there, believe I may possibly try just some of it throughout my daily life
Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment
..thanks Drop for visiting our site and taking the time to read ;_) happy new year and abundant 2012 ahead!ΓΌ
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