Diabetes is a serious condition that can have many different effects on your body. One of the most serious complications of diabetes is damage to the blood vessels in your eyes. This damage can lead to several eye health problems, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at how diabetes affects your eyes and what you can do to protect your vision.
Diabetes and Your Eyes
Diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when there is too much sugar (glucose) in the blood. Over time, high blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels in the body, including those in the eyes. This damage can lead to several problems, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataracts.
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a serious complication of diabetes that occurs when the blood vessels in the retina (the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye) become damaged. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults 20-74 years old.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is another serious complication of diabetes that occurs when the pressure inside the eye increases. This increased pressure can damage the optic nerve (the nerve that carries images from the eye to the brain), leading to vision loss.
Cataracts
Cataracts are a common age-related problem that occurs when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. People with diabetes are more likely to develop cataracts at an earlier age than those without diabetes.
Protecting Your Vision
There is no cure for diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, or cataracts. However, there are treatments available that can help slow down or prevent these conditions from getting worse. It’s important to see your eye doctor for regular eye exams so that any problems can be detected early and treated accordingly. In addition to seeing your doctor regularly, there are some other things you can do to protect your vision:
- Control your blood sugar levels by following your treatment plan
- Quit smoking
- Eat a healthy diet
- Exercise regularly
If you have diabetes, it’s important to take steps to protect your vision. By seeing your doctor regularly and following a healthy lifestyle, you can help reduce your risk of developing serious eye problems.
