There are few things more precious than your eyesight. And as you age your eyes age too. Your eyes may give you absolutely no warning that they need attention. Even if your vision is 20/20 you should still consider going for regular eye examinations. Remember your eyes age when you age.
The Importance of Eye Exams and Diabetes
While going for routine eye examination should be the norm for everyone, it's important for the over 2 million Canadians who have diabetes.
Diabetes is a disease that prevents the body from making or using insulin which in turn leads to increased sugar levels in your bloodstream. For more information contact the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA), or call your CDA local branch.
The following information is from The Canadian Association of Optometrists:
Diabetes and its complications can affect many parts of the eye. It can cause changes in nearsightedness, farsightedness and premature presbyopia - the inability to focus on close objects. It can also result in cataracts, glaucoma, paralysis of the nerves that control the eye muscles or pupil, and in decreased corneal sensitivity.
Know the Visual Symptoms of Diabetes
Visual symptoms of diabetes include fluctuating or blurring of vision, occasional double vision, loss of visual field, and flashes and floaters within the eyes. Sometimes these early signs of diabetes are detected in a thorough optometric examination. The most serious eye problem associated with diabetes is diabetic retinopathy.
What is Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy occurs when there is a weakening or swelling of the tiny blood vessels in the retina of your eye, resulting in blood leakage, the growth of new blood vessels and other changes. If diabetic retinopathy is left untreated, blindness can result.
This is why it is important that you go for regular eye examinations because your optometrist can diagnose potential vision threatening changes in your eyes that may be treated to prevent blindness. Sadly, once damage has occurred, the effects are usually permanent.
Early Detection of Diabetic Retinopathy Crucial
Early detection of diabetic retinopathy is crucial as treatment is much more likely to be successful at an early stage. In the early stages, diabetic retinopathy is monitored through eye health examinations. If necessary, it may be treated with laser therapy.
With laser therapy, a bright beam of light is focused on the retina, causing a burn which seals off leaking blood vessels. In other cases, surgery inside the eye may be necessary.
Control Your Diabetes Reduces Risk of Complications
It is important to control your diabetes to minimize your risk of developing complications such as retinopathy.
Earlier prevention, earlier diagnosis and very aggressive treatment of diabetes by controlling blood glucose levels, blood pressure and lipid levels, have proven to prevent or significantly delay damage to the body's large blood vessels.
Type 2 diabetes and its related complications can be prevented by lifestyle modifications - moderate weight loss and regular exercise - and in some people by the appropriate use of drugs.
There are several factors that increase the risk of developing retinopathy:
- Smoking
- High blood pressure
- Drinking alcohol
- Pregnancy
See your optometrist, an eye care specialist, for a thorough eye examination when you are first diagnosed as a diabetic, at least annually thereafter and more frequently if recommended.
