Can Diabetes Affect Your Eyes?

India is second on the list of countries that is home to maximum number of diabetics. More than 62 million Indians are affected by diabetes, which is more than 7% of the total adult population. And, out of these, nearly 1 million diabetics die every year due to this illness. In fact, India is projected to be home to 109 million patients by 2035! This has been deduced after considering the high-calorie and low-activity lifestyle that the middle class Indians live.

Those attacked by diabetes are seen to have uncontrolled sugar levels, which have been seen to highly affect various body parts and systems.

• Diabetes damages large blood vessels in the circulatory system. Excess blood sugar decreases the elasticity of blood vessels, making them narrow, thus obstructing blood flow.
• Diabetes can result in nerve damage as the blood vessels are unable to deliver enough oxygen.
• High blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels in the kidneys, thus affecting the urinary system.
• Diabetes slows down the movement of food into the small intestine, thus affecting the digestive system.
• People with diabetes cannot heal as quickly as others.

While all of the above problems are very commonly seen in diabetic patients, and are known by all, there is one issue that maybe not everyone knows about. It has been reported than almost 30% of diabetics who are above the age of 40 have had damage to the retina, leading to vision loss. In addition, diabetics are observed to be more likely to develop cataracts and undergo a cataract surgery than those without the ailment.

Excess blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels in the retina, the innermost layer of the eye that receives light signals and transmits them to the brain to be processed into images. As the retinal blood vessels weaken, they leak and bleed, which distorts the vision, causing blindness. This condition is known as diabetic retinopathy, which is a commonly seen diabetic eye disease, after cataracts and glaucoma.

If you are a diabetic patient, you are now frightened about these eye related conditions. If you haven’t yet experienced any of these, you should be thankful, but must be prepared for a worse future. But, to keep yourself away from all of this, you need to safeguard your vision from diabetic complications way in advance. Yes, the good news is that there is a way out to keep your eyes away from such problems!

By maintaining a healthy diet, by staying physically active, by taking the prescribed medications regularly without fail, you can minimize or even avoid diabetic vision problems. In addition, you should keep a regular check on your eyes. Schedule an eye exam every few months at an eye specialist hospital to identify early warning signs. If detected early, the required steps can be taken to avoid further problems and vision loss. The doctor may also suggest a laser treatment to seal off leaky blood vessels, thus stopping further damage. So, keep your vision safe by taking early precautions and care!

Get in touch with Arohi Eye Hospital, the best eye care hospital near Oshiwara, right away if you are a diabetic to have your eyes checked thoroughly. And, even if you are not a diabetic patient, keeping a regular check on your eyes is imperative. So, in any case, fix an appointment and have your eyes checked by professionals to detect and treat any early signs of eye issues.