How Can Diabetes Damage Eyesight? Articles | Remedy

By: Richard Bleuze

How can diabetes damage eyesight?

Diabetes can affect the eye in a several of ways.  The most serious eye condition that is associated with diabetes involves the retina.  Especially,   the network of blood vessels lying within it.  This is known as diabetic retinopathy.

There are three main stages of diabetic retinopathy.  They are:

1.  Background diabetic retinopathy
Background diabetic retinopathy is very common in people who have had diabetes for a long time.  As a rule, your vision will be normal with no threat to your sight.

The blood vessels in the retina are only very mildly affected, they may bulge slightly and may leak blood or fluid.

2.  Maculopathy
This happens if the background diabetic retinopathy becomes more severe, the macula area may become involved.  As a rule, this happens over time.  This condition is called maculopathy.  If you have maculopathy, your central vision will gradually get worse.  In addition, you may find it difficult to recognize people's faces in the distance or to see detail such as small print. The amount of central vision that is lost varies from person to person. 

Maculopathy is the main cause of loss of vision for most with diabetes and may occur gradually but progressively.  However, it is rare for someone with maculopathy to lose all their sight.

3.  Proliferative diabetic retinopathy
As the eye condition progresses, it can sometimes cause the blood vessels in the retina to become blocked.  This then creates new blood vessels in the eye. This is known as proliferative diabetic retinopathy.  It is nature's way of trying to repair the damage so that the retina has a new blood supply.

These new blood vessels, however, are weak.  In addition, they are growing on the surface of the retina and into the vitreous gel.  Thus, these new blood vessels can bleed very easily and cause scar tissue to form in the eye.  In turn, the scarring pulls and distorts the retina.  This condition causes the  retina to be pulled out of position and is called retinal detachment.

In review, diabetes can damage eyesight by doing:

1. Proliferative retinopathy is rarer than background retinopathy.
2. The new blood vessels will rarely affect your vision, but their consequences, such as bleeding or retinal detachment may cause your vision to get worse. Visual loss in this case is often sudden and severe.
3. Your eyesight may become blurred and patchy as the bleeding obscures part of your vision.
4. Without treatment, total loss of vision may happen in proliferative retinopathy.
5. With treatment, sight-threatening diabetic problems can be prevented if caught early enough.

Reducing the risk of sight loss from diabetes can be done, however.  In recent studies, it has been shown that excellent control of diabetes can significantly reduce sight threatening complications.  In addition, you need to monitor and treat high blood pressure.  The two main things that you can do to prevent visual loss from diabetes is to maintain excellent diabetic control and normal blood pressures.

Have regular check ups and insist that you are that your blood pressure is monitored.  As a rule, high blood pressure can usually be helped by lifestyle changes and medication.  I always suggest a herbal product such as Hypercet Blood Pressure Formula .  That is what I take since I am a diabetic.  In any case, talk to your doctor and discuss what would be best in your case.

Not smoking, good sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol control (once again, I recommend CholesLo) can all reduce the risk of diabetes affecting your sight loss.

Please remember, that although your vision may be good now, changes can be taking place in your retina that need treatment.  In addition, remember that most sight loss due to diabetes is preventable.  Thus, keep the following in mind if you are a diabetic:

1. early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy is vital
2. have an eye examination every year
3. do not wait until your vision has deteriorated to have an eye test
4. eye examinations are free for most people with diabetes.

Most sight-threatening problems caused by diabetic retinopathy can be managed by laser treatment if it is given early enough.  The laser can be focused with extreme precision so that the blood vessels that are leaking fluid into the retina can be sealed.

Other effects of diabetes on the eyes include temporary blurring and/or cataracts.

In conclusion, just remember the following points:

1. Early diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy is vital.
2. Have an eye examination every year.
3. Do not wait until your vision has deteriorated to have an eye test.
4. Most sight-threatening diabetic problems can be managed by laser treatment if it is given early enough.
5. Good sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol control reduces the risk of diabetes related sight loss.
6. Have diabetic checkups at least once a year, including blood pressure and cholesterol monitoring.
7. I know that you have heard this a thousand times, STOP SMOKING!  Smoking increases your risk of diabetes related sight loss.

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