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Diabetes:
Two Steps You Must Take to Avoid Vision Loss
Back in the 1950's
and 60's most people didn't rate diabetes as a major
problem. Back then, all the focus was on dealing with
more prominent diseases such as polio and tuberculosis.
If diabetes was thought about, it was more in the context
of cutting out sugar in your coffee, rather than as
a serious threat to your eyesight or your life.
That's all changing. It's not too much
to say that diabetes is now reaching epidemic levels
in most of the western world. According to the American
Diabetes Association there are over 20 million diabetics
in the United States alone, with a staggering one third
undiagnosed. It's also going to get a lot worse with
another 41 million Americans already showing pre-diabetic
signs.
Diabetes is a disease that mostly affects
blood vessels and in it's extreme forms can lead to
serious heart disease, stroke and kidney damage. Clearly
these life threatening diabetic vascular diseases deserve
priority attention, but high on the critical list for
diabetics is the risk of serious eye disease and loss
of vision.
Vision is one of our most critical senses
and in this "need for speed" information era,
over 70% of our sensory information comes through our
eyes. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology,
diabetics are 25 times more likely to lose vision than
those who are not diabetic. With diabetes already being
the number one cause of blindness in the United States,
it's no wonder eye care professionals are predicting
a devastating increase in vision loss as the diabetic
epidemic grows alarmingly.
Newly diagnosed diabetics often have
nothing more than minor vision fluctuations which settle
when blood sugar levels improve with treatment. Early
on it's easy to believe everything is fine. After some
years though, continuing high blood sugar can gradually
damage the blood vessels at the back of the eye in the
retina. This causes a problem called diabetic retinopathy
and the longer you have diabetes the more likely you
are to have retinopathy. The risk increases further
when there is poor control of blood sugar levels. More
than 70% of diabetics develop some changes in their
eyes within 15 years of diagnosis.
Retinopathy is graded as Non-proliferative
or Proliferative. Non-proliferative retinopathy is the
common milder form, where small retinal blood vessels
break and leak. There may be some mild retinal swelling
but it rarely requires treatment unless it causes hazy
central vision or straight lines appear bent.
Proliferative retinopathy is the less
common, but more serious form where new blood vessels
grow abnormally within the retina. If these vessel scar
or bleed they can lead to potentially serious vision
loss including blindness. Early laser treatment can
seal leaking vessels and slow the progress of diabetic
retinopathy, but can't reverse existing vision loss.
For now, there is no "magic pill"
to eliminate the risk of diabetic eye damage, but you
can do two important things to help prevent the more
serious complications. Poor blood sugar control is one
of the main causes of serious diabetic retinopathy.
The critical first step is making sure you stabilize
and control your blood sugar with a healthy diet and
regular exercise. The second step is to make sure you
have a yearly diabetic eye examination. An experienced
eye care professional can pick up subtle diabetic eye
changes long before you notice any vision change, and
more importantly, early enough to do some good.
If you, or your family are affected
by this rising tidal wave of diabetes: take action now
to reduce your risk of vision loss. Don't be a victim!
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