Managing Diabetes for Eye Health
Diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, is known to cause a plethora of secondary conditions. Uncontrolled diabetes can negatively affect all parts of your body, and your eyes are no exception. To keep your eyes healthy and free of diabetes-related disease, properly managing your diabetes is key. Here are some things you should know about how diabetes affects your eyes and what you can do to avoid these issues.
How Diabetes Affects Your Eyes
Uncontrolled diabetes causes elevated glucose levels in the bloodstream. Over time, the amount of sugar in the blood can harm your blood vessels and even lead to high blood pressure. This puts your eyes at risk by making common diseases like glaucoma and cataracts even more likely.
Common Diabetes-Related Eye Diseases
Diabetes can affect your eyes in many ways. The small blood vessels in your retina can become swollen and leak fluid into the eye, a condition called diabetic retinopathy. This condition can cause severe vision loss and blindness.
Diabetes also makes common diseases like glaucoma and cataracts more likely. Increased intraocular pressure from swelling can cause glaucoma, which can cause irreversible vision loss. Cataracts are more likely to form in diabetic patients, and typically form earlier in diabetic patients.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that causes the retina to stop working, is more common in diabetic patients as well. AMD also causes irreversible vision loss.
How to Manage Diabetes for Eye Health
The best way to make sure you don’t experience these eye conditions is to keep close control of your blood sugar levels. This means following the directions laid out by your doctor, monitoring your blood sugar levels closely, and responding accordingly when your blood sugar levels are abnormal. You may think that skipping insulin or medications one time won’t hurt, but it really can.
Diet is also an important part of keeping blood sugar levels normal and your eyes healthy. Eating a diet rich in leafy greens and other sources of lutein can help reduce the likelihood of developing AMD. Eating the daily recommended amount of vitamin C rich foods each day can reduce or slow the progression of cataracts.
Talk to your eye doctor to find out what you can be doing to elevate your eye health and avoid common diabetes-related diseases.
If you are concerned about your eye health and would like to see a doctor experienced in managing and monitoring the eye health of diabetic patients, contact Pinke Eye Center in Shelton, CT today.
