Diabetes and Eye Health
There is a strong connection between diabetes and your vision health. If you have pre-diabetes or diabetes it is important to get your blood glucose levels under control. The American Diabetes Association says that individuals with diabetes have a higher risk of blindness than do those without diabetes and are 40 percent more likely to have glaucoma and 60 percent more likely to have cataracts. Those statistics are staggering and we must protect the gift of sight.
There are various types of retinal damage caused by diabetes. This is typically referred to as diabetic retinopathy. If you have chronic blood glucose levels (high blood sugar) the tiny blood vessels that supply needed blood to your retina in your eye get damaged and are unable to function properly. Lack of blood supply to the retina can eventually cause vision loss. Additionally, your body may trigger the development of new blood vessels (to compensate for the damaged blood vessels) which can rupture and leak blood. These blood vessels can eventually cause retinal detachment or glaucoma.
The longer you have had the diagnosis of diabetes increases your risk of getting retinopathy. If your blood sugar is not under control, the likelihood of complications increases substantially.
What are the common symptoms?
- blurry vision
- dark floating spots