Diabetes caused blindness

According to the Department of Health in Minnesota, about 500 to 800 people become blind each year because of diabetes, indicating that diabetes has become the main cause of blindness in the country. As the most serious complication of diabetes, blindness is going up. It is widely known that diabetes is a group of metabolic diseases featuring high blood sugar. In diabetic patients, the normal levels of blood glucose are out of control. This is generally a chronic medical condition and usually lasts a lifetime. Here, we discuss its impact on eyesight.

Diabetes does not always lead to retinopathy

Blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage are some of the severe consequences of diabetes. Its influence on visual system lies in that diabetes often causes diabetic retinopathy, which can actually be successfully avoided. This eye disease involves serious damage to the retina and blindness is the final result if no proper treatment is applied. The Minnesota Optometric Association (MOA) points out that about 50% to 60% of severe vision loss cases caused by diabetes can be prevented by early treatment.

Diabetes’ danger should draw more public attention

It is quite important to improve the public’s awareness of the dangerous diabetes. A basic point everyone should know is that diabetes can cause vision loss and diabetic patients must receive regular eye exams at least once a year. As mentioned before, complications of diabetes may cause diabetic retinopathy, which means ocular damage is unavoidable. The president of MOA has ever said that diabetes can be properly managed using an integrated health program.

Retinopathy requires early detection

Diabetes always progresses over time. Statistics show that about 80% of type one diabetic cases will develop retinopathy signs after ten years. And five years later, retinopathy may form. Early detection of the signs and subsequent treatment are critical for blindness prevention. Blindness is often caused by abnormal blood vessel growth on the retina. In some instances, diabetic patients have swelling blood vessels, which will in turn lead to fluid leakage.

Signs of diabetic retinopathy

Regularly comprehensive eye exams are necessary to catch early signs of retinopathy. Those signs include blurry vision, extra eye pressure, double vision, spots or floaters, reading difficulty and so on. If a diabetic patient realizes some of these symptoms, it is a must to see an eye doctor.

Instructions for diabetic retinopathy patients

Once diabetic retinopathy has been diagnosed, medications will be prescribed by the doctor. It is also important for diabetic patients to eat a healthy diet and maintain a regular exercise program. Moreover, high blood pressure and high blood sugar should be properly controlled. Diabetic patients must get rid of smoking and drinking alcohol should be stopped.