What Diabetics Should Know About Their Eye Health

Diabetes is a common health condition in the United States. Many people go for years without knowing they are diabetic, while the effects pile up. Uncontrolled blood sugar levels can lead to a host of health conditions, including damage to your eyes. 

At Ventura Eye Institute in Camarillo, California, our professional team of eye care specialists can help you ascertain if your diabetes is causing a danger to your vision, and help you deal with eye problems that are being made worse by diabetes.

How diabetes affects the eyes  

Diabetes is a chronic, lifelong condition that affects your body’s ability to produce or process insulin. Having diabetes puts you at risk of many other conditions, especially if left unchecked. Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, puts stress on other organs in the body as well as your nerves and blood vessels. Over time, this strain can cause lasting damage that puts you at risk for other health complications, including heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, limb amputation, and even blindness. 

Diabetes and vision risk

The most common cause of blindness among diabetics is diabetic retinopathy. This occurs when continual high blood sugar levels degrade blood vessels in the retina, causing them to swell, leak, or close off entirely. Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include: 

• Poor night vision 
• Poor color vision
• Vision that fluctuates between blurry and clear 
• Blank or dark spots in your vision
• An increased number of “floaters”

Diabetes also doubles your chances of developing glaucoma, another common cause of blindness. Glaucoma occurs when high pressure within the eye begins to degrade the optic nerve, which transmits images from the eyes to the brain.

The symptoms of glaucoma are less noticeable, and most people don’t realize they have it until significant vision loss has occurred. Once this damage has been done, it cannot be reversed, which is why it’s important to maintain your eyes while they’re still healthy. 

Maintaining your eye health 

If you suffer from diabetes, managing your condition is key to protecting your vision. By keeping your blood sugar within healthy limits, you can avoid damage caused by hyperglycemia, reducing your risk of serious eye conditions like retinopathy and glaucoma. 

However, the only way to truly protect your vision is through frequent, comprehensive eye exams. Many early signs of eye disease, especially glaucoma and retinopathy, can only be detected and diagnosed by an eyecare professional. 

Ophthalmologists are trained to recognize subtle changes within the eye, and have the tools and tests necessary to catch conditions like retinopathy and glaucoma before it’s too late. 

Even if your eyes are healthy, attending annual eye exams helps build a record that your ophthalmologist can look back on during future appointments. 

Ready to talk about the effects of diabetes on your eye health with a vision professional? To schedule an appointment, call 805-388-1211 or book online.