Over time, uncontrolled diabetes or chronic hyperglycemia can cause damage to the blood vessels throughout the body, including those in your eyes. People with blurry vision or eyesight-related problems often ignore them as temporary symptoms or aging signs. While it is known that uncontrolled diabetes affects the heart and kidneys, it does not show any mercy on the eyes either.
Diabetes can cause varying extents of vision impairment. About 45% of diabetics visiting eye clinics in India had already lost their vision before the condition was even diagnosed. The two most common types of vision loss related to diabetes are macular edema and retinopathy. Diabetes also increases the risk of other eye conditions, including cataracts and glaucoma.
How does diabetes affect vision?
When we think of eye problems, our mind never even considers diabetes as a cause. Diabetes affects the small blood vessels throughout the body, including the eyes, causing a lack of blood supply. The retina (back part of the eye) is affected due to this lack of blood supply, and this condition is known as diabetic retinopathy (DR). It primarily manifests as swelling in the central part of the retina (macula) which is called diabetic macular edema (DME).
Diabetic eye disease is a term for several eye problems caused by uncontrolled diabetes. These eye problems include diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, diabetic macular edema, and cataract, with the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy up to as high as 16.9% in India.
Could you be at risk of getting diabetes-related eye disease?
Anyone with type 1 or type 2 diabetes can get diabetic retinopathy. The longer you have had diabetes, the higher you are at risk for this disease. Therefore, the day you are diagnosed with diabetes, you need to get your eyes checked, especially the retina, for any effects of diabetes. Over time, more than half of diabetic people will develop diabetic retinopathy. However, it is crucial to know that the onset of DR depends on the duration of diabetes and the progression depends on metabolic control along with other factors such as control of blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
How to spot the warning signs of diabetic retinopathy?
There may be no warning signs in the initial stages of diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, it is extremely important to get regular eye checkups done, even without any problems with your vision. The onset of diabetic eye disease may be recognized by the following symptoms:
- Frequent change of glasses
- Difficulty in reading newspapers or any small font
- Hazy vision
- Sighting black or red color floaters
- Seeing a dark curtain
Important facts to pay heed to
You may still have the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy even after your diabetes is under good control.The major risk factor for the onset of diabetic retinopathy is the duration of diabetes.
- Checkups at an optical shop may not detect the presence or absence of diabetic retinopathy.
- Diabetic retinopathy can only be diagnosed by the examination of the retina.
- Prevent diabetic retinopathy: Take charge of the ABC
Any diabetic patient is bound to have diabetic retinopathy depends on the duration of diabetes. Hence, managing your diabetes ABCs, which include your
- A1c (<7.0%),
- Blood pressure (<130/80 mmHg, and cholesterol
- (LDL-C <100 mg per dL), is the best way to lower the risk of diabetic retinopathy.
- The glycosylated hemoglobin (A1c or HbA1c) is the average blood sugar for the past 2-3 months, which helps track how well you are managing your diabetes. Perform regular physical activity, eat healthily, and carefully follow your doctor’s instructions for insulin or other diabetes medicines.
- High blood pressure or high cholesterol, along with diabetes, increases your risk for diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, it is best to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in check to lower your risk of vision loss.
Screening for diabetic retinopathy differs according to the type of diabetes
Type 1 diabetes: It is advisable to get a dilated fundus examination (it consists of dilating your pupils to have a better look) along with a comprehensive eye examination within 5 years of the onset of diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes: Get a dilated fundus examination along with a comprehensive eye examination at the time of diagnosis of diabetes, and follow up the screenings based on the stage of diabetic retinopathy.
The treatment of diabetic retinopathy is possible, and the options depend on the stage and progression of the disease. Following are the treatment options
Treating diabetic retinopathy Know your options
1. Laser treatment: This is done to treat the growth of new blood vessels in the retina.
2. Eye injections: These injections are given inside the eye to treat severe degeneration of the macula that threatens your sight.
3. Vitreoretinal eye surgery: This procedure is done to remove blood or scar tissue from the eye when laser treatment is not possible because of the advancement of retinopathy to later stages.
Remember!
Diabetes is a silent killer and by the time you realize it may be too late. Therefore, be on your guard and get regular screening done for diabetic eye disease to avoid blindness. Show some extra love and care to your eyes if you are diabetic, and keep your sugar in control to have healthy vision.
Disclaimer: Please seek professional help regarding any health conditions or concerns. This article is for information purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for medical expertise. These are opinions from a panel of individual experts and are not to be considered opinions of Medikstar.