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If you’ve been recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you might be concerned about the different effects this condition can have on your overall health. Eye complications are common for those who have diabetes, and without proper monitoring and treatment, these conditions can lead to permanent vision loss.

However, total or even partial vision loss is preventable if you know how to properly care for and monitor your eyes. Managing your diabetes properly is part of reducing the risk of damage to your vision. When you have diabetes, your risk for developing common eye problems increases. These conditions include the following.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma occurs when too much fluid collects in the eye, increasing the pressure to a point where the nerves and retina become damaged.

While this disease occurs in people without diabetes, a glaucoma diagnosis is more common for people with diabetes. Some doctors believe it’s due to increased blood pressure in the eye, as diabetics often have increased blood pressure. Others think that because diabetics have much more thorough and frequent eye checks, detection rates are naturally higher.

Treatment

The best treatment for glaucoma is prevention. Work hard to control your diabetes through diet and exercise. If your doctor notices the beginning stages of glaucoma, medication will help to control the pressure so you can avoid nerve damage. Severe glaucoma may require surgery.

Cataracts

Cataracts are unfortunately more common in diabetics, and they occur at a younger age than you normally might expect. They are caused by increased blood sugar levels. The increased sugar in your body causes the lens to swell. The lens tries to reduce this swelling by releasing an enzyme that transforms sugar to sorbitol.

The trade-off, however, is that the sorbitol collets in the lens, affecting the natural proteins in the cells of the eye. The lens starts to become opaque, forming cataracts.

Treatment

Treating cataracts in diabetics can be more challenging. Usually, surgical removal of the cataract can help to restore vision. However, removing a cataract in a diabetic increases the chances of developing proliferative retinopathy.

Fortunately, monitoring your blood sugar levels can drastically reduce your chances of developing diabetes-related cataracts. Follow a low-sugar diet and aim for healthy weight loss to reduce the severity of your condition. You can also reduce your risk by wearing glasses for sun protection, since increased exposure to UV light can also lead to cataract formation.

Retinopathy

Retinopathy is the most common eye condition associated with diabetes. Almost all diabetics will have some form of retinopathy. There are two main types: non-proliferative retinopathy and proliferative retinopathy.

Non-Proliferative Retinopathy

This condition occurs when the blood vessels in the back of the eye become blocked, forming small pockets of blood. This condition can be mild or severe, but it does not usually result in vision loss. However, it can lead to dangerous eye swelling and blurriness as the blood vessel walls become weak. Your eye doctor will treat the swelling to make sure your vision remains clear.

Proliferative Retinopathy

This type of retinopathy is more dangerous, and it actually does lead to blindness. Once blood vessels are too damaged to repair themselves, they close off. The eye requires blood vessels for oxygen delivery to your cells. New blood vessels try to pick up the slack and begin to grow in place of the old ones.

The new vessels are weaker and they grow into the retina, leaking blood and fluid. Scar tissue begins to form over and around these new blood vessels. As the condition progress, the scar tissue affects the shape, position, and size of the retina. When the retina becomes fully displaced because of scar tissue, vision is lost.

Treatment

The best solution for retinopathy is early detection, which is why diabetic patients require such close monitoring. You might notice no changes in your vision, but an eye exam will show the changes in the eye and an ophthalmologist will be able to take steps to keep retinopathy from causing vision loss with the following treatments:

  • Scatter photocoagulation.

    This treatment makes many tiny burns on the retina that stop or slow the growth of new blood vessels. When the new growth is stopped, retinal detachment becomes less likely. This treatment is most effective before any vessels have bled into the eye or formed scar tissue.

  • Focal photocoagulation.

    This treatment targets specific bleeding blood vessels, sealing them off before they can cause further damage.

  • Vitrectomy.

    A vitrectomy is a surgery to help repair retinal detachment, bleeding, and scar tissue formation. This surgery is only necessary when proliferative retinopathy is severe.

Retinopathy is the main concern for those who struggle with diabetes and should be taken seriously.

 

It is much simpler to prevent retinopathy and other eye problems by managing your diabetes through the advice of your regular physician and eye doctor. Diabetes does not have to steal your eyesight.

For more information about controlling your diabetes and testing for eye diseases, visit All About Eyes.

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