i came across this article and got my interest. Read on below. ;_)
When was your last eye exam? It's possible your answer could affect your risk of Alzheimer's.
In a new study, people with vision problems who failed to visit the eye doctor -- or who left their vision problems untreated -- were nine times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.
Time for a checkup?
The Vision/Cognition Connection
To be clear, researchers don't think vision problems are a direct cause of Alzheimer's disease. But untreated eye problems could keep people from engaging in the types of activities that are good for your brain -- like reading, playing games, and even walking and socializing.
Prioritize Your Eyes
Regardless of the connection between untreated eye problems and cognitive decline, there are lots of other good reasons to see your eye-care specialist regularly. The most important? Sight-robbing eye conditions like glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy typically don't have any early warning signs. Regular eye exams are the only way to spot them and treat them early.
thanks to Real Age site
Ipinapakita ang mga post na may etiketa na diabetic retinopathy. Ipakita ang lahat ng mga post
Ipinapakita ang mga post na may etiketa na diabetic retinopathy. Ipakita ang lahat ng mga post
Lunes, Abril 5, 2010
Lunes, Disyembre 14, 2009
Diabetic Retinopathy
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.
DIABETES and its IMPACT on the EYE
MAGNITUDE OF DIABETES
Diabetes epidemic is underway. An estimated 30 million people worldwide had diabetes in 1985. A decade later, the global burden of diabetes was estimated to be 135 million. The latest WHO estimate – for the number of people with diabetes, worldwide, in 2000 – is 171 million. This is likely to increase to at least 366 million by 2030. Two major concerns are that much of this increase in diabetes will occur in developing countries, due to population growth, ageing, unhealthy diets, obesity and sedentary lifestyles, and that there is a growing incidence of Type 2 diabetes – which accounts for about 90% of all cases – at a younger age. In developed countries most people with diabetes are above the age of retirement. In developing countries those most frequently affected are in the middle, productive years of their lives, aged between 35 and 64.How can diabetes affect eye?
Diabetes can affect the eyes and vision in a number of ways. It may lead to frequent fluctuations in vision, cataract in young age, decreased vision due to involvement of optic nerve, temporary paralysis of the muscles controlling the movement of eyes and thus double vision. The most significant complication of diabetes in eye is diabetic retinopathy and its complications.
What is diabetic retinopathy?
Retina is the layer at the back of the eye that is sensitive to light. Diabetes affects the small vessels of the retina in the eye. There are various stages of diabetic retinopathy: 
Non-proliferative or background diabetic retinopathy: When blood vessels in the retina are damaged, they can leak fluid or bleed. This causes the retina to swell and form deposits called exudates. This is an early form of diabetic retinopathy and may not lead to any decrease in vision, but it can lead to other more serious forms of retinopathy that affect the vision.
Macular edema: The fluid and exudates collects in the macula (the part of the retina that allows us to see fine details), thus decreasing the vision. Sometimes there may be a macular edema without any loss of vision. Therefore it is important to have periodic checkup to detect and treat these conditions at an early stage.
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy: This is an advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy, where the blood supply of retina is compromised. In response to this, new fragile blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina (neovascularization). These new vessels are very fragile and bleed easily. These may lead to serious vision problems if they bleed into the vitreous (the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the center of the eye) which is known as vitreous hemorrhage. This prevents the light from reaching the retina and thus can blur the vision. The new blood vessels and the bleed into the vitreous can also cause scar tissue to develop, which can pull the retina away from the back of the eye. This is known as retinal detachment, and can lead to blindness if untreated.
In addition, abnormal blood vessels can grow on the iris (the colored part in the front of your eye, which can lead to glaucoma).
What are the risk factors for diabetic retinopathy?
The longer the person has diabetes, the greater are his/her chances to develop diabetic retinopathy. Almost 80% of people, who have diabetes for 15 years or more, have some damage to the blood vessels in their retina. The other risk factors are high blood pressure, anemia, kidney diseases, and pregnancy.
Can something be done to prevent diabetic retinopathy?
There is no treatment that can prevent diabetic retinopathy altogether. Persons with any form of diabetes may develop diabetic retinopathy. But it has been proven that a good control of diabetes can delay and slow down the rate of progress of diabetic retinopathy and its complications. Besides a good control of blood sugar, one must exercise regularly, keep the blood pressure under control, avoid smoking, and avoid obesity.
How do I know if I have diabetic retinopathy?
You might not know that you are having diabetic retinopathy, as there are no symptoms in the earlier stages of the disease. Therefore it is essential to have periodic evaluation of your eye by an ophthalmologist to detect the condition early. Early diagnosis and timely treatment is very essential in preventing the complications of this disease and thus maintaining vision.
How frequently should I get my eye examined?
If you have diabetes, you should get a yearly examination with your ophthalmologist. Your pupils may be dilated with eyedrops, so that your ophthalmologist may have a good look at the back of your eye. Once you develop diabetic retinopathy, then your ophthalmologist will advise you if you need some investigations, treatment or just need to follow up. In these cases the frequency of follow up visits is decided on basis of the severity of the disease.
What are the tests done for diabetic retinopathy?
Your vision is assessed by the usual charts. The back of your eye is examined after dilating your pupils, using an instrument called ophthalmoscope. Sometimes your ophthalmologist may advise a special test called Fluorescein angiography.
What is fluorescein angiography?
It is a test in which a series of photographs of the retina are taken with the help of a special camera. These photographs are taken after giving the patient an injection of a yellow dye. This dye reaches the retina through the blood stream and helps in seeing the blood vessels of retina more clearly. This test helps the doctor to determine which areas to be treated with laser.
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