If you have diabetes, you are at higher risk for serious eye problems. It can cause severe vision loss and even blindness. But diabetic eye disease can often be treated before vision loss occurs. You can lower your risk for these conditions if you get regular eye checkups and work with your healthcare provider to keep your diabetes under control.
Diabetes-Related Eye DiseaseIf you have diabetes, you are at higher risk for serious eye problems. It can cause severe vision loss and even blindness. But diabetic eye disease can often be treated before vision loss occurs. You can lower your risk for these conditions if you get regular eye checkups and work with your healthcare provider to keep your diabetes under control.CausesDiabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults in the U.S. It is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina, the light-sensitive lining of the eye. In the first stage of diabetic retinopathy, the blood vessels get small swellings called microaneurysms. Microaneurysms can leak fluid and blood. If this happens the cells in your retina don't get the oxygen and nutrients they need to survive. This causes new blood vessels to grow on the surface of the retina, these blood vessels are often weak, and leak. This is the second stage of retinopathy; it is what causes vision loss and blindness.If you have diabetic retinopathy, you might not know it. This means your retina can be badly damaged before you have any change in vision. In some cases, you may have blurring or see strings, cobwebs, or specks floating in your visual field.You may not be able to prevent diabetic retinopathy, but you can lower your chances of getting it by having an eye exam once a year.Two other eye problems that cause problems with diabetes are glaucoma and cataracts.Glaucoma is a condition in which your optic nerve becomes damaged by pressure inside your eyeball. This leads to vision loss. If you have diabetes, you are more likely to suffer from glaucoma than someone who does not have the disease. Usually, the damage to the optic nerve that occurs with glaucoma does not cause symptoms.If you have a lot of pressure inside your eyeball, it can be treated with medicine. Eye drops are usually used.A cataract is when the clear lens of your eye becomes cloudy. The clouding prevents light rays from passing through your lens and focusing on your retina. This is the light-sensitive tissue lining that is located in the back of your eye. The clouding is caused when some of the protein that makes up the lens clumps together and makes it hard to see.If you have diabetes, you're more likely than people without the disease, to develop cataracts. You're more likely to develop them at a younger age.Cataract symptoms can be different for each person. Symptoms may include cloudy or blurry vision, glare or halos around lights, or lights that seem too bright, poor night vision, multiple or double vision, faded colors, frequent changes in your eyeglass or contact lens prescriptions, and distortion of vision in either eye.Things to rememberTo prevent diabetes-related eye problems, keep your blood sugar as close to normal as you can. Diabetic retinopathy causes damage to the retina, the light-sensitive area at the back of the eye. Regular checkups can help your healthcare provider find eye problems early, when they are easiest to treat.What we have learnedDiabetic retinopathy is caused by too much pressure inside your eyeball. True or false? The answer is false. When your optic nerve becomes damaged due to pressure inside your eyeball, you have glaucoma.Cataracts are a clouding of the lens over your eye. True or false? The answer is true. The clouding is caused when some of the protein that makes up the lens clumps together and makes it hard to see.Diabetic retinopathy often does not have symptoms. True or false? The answer is true. Sometimes vision loss is the only symptom.
Date Last Reviewed: 05/01/2021
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