High blood sugar can lead to various eye-related problems like blurry vision, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. However, by keeping your blood sugar levels in check, you can significantly lower the risks of such eye health-related complications. As one of the leading eye hospitals in Kolkata, our eye specialists have curated important risks associated with diabetes and eye health:
- Risk 1. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common causes of vision loss. Both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics stand at high risk for the onset of Diabetic Retinopathy. High blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels of the retina, leading to blurry vision and other symptoms. The problem with diabetic retinopathy is that at first, it doesn’t show many symptoms or there are only mild vision problems. The most important part of your treatment is to keep your diabetes under control. Surgery may be recommended to treat the growth of new blood vessels in the retina.
- Risk 2: People with diabetes are at higher risk of developing cataracts. Though the exact reason is not fully understood, people with diabetes develop cataracts that cause blurring of vision. When cataracts prevent you from performing your daily activities like reading or driving, surgery is recommended. During the surgery, the clouded lens is replaced with an artificial lens.
- Risk 3: People with diabetes are more prone to eye infections. People with type 1 diabetes are more vulnerable to get conjunctivitis than those who don’t suffer from diabetes. Those with type 2 diabetes are also at higher risk of eye infections. Besides conjunctivitis, individuals with diabetes are also prone to acute infections like blepharitis and styes.
- Risk 4: Diabetes can also cause glaucoma. Diabetes causes pressure to build up inside the eyes when the fluid cannot drain the way it should. As a result, it can damage nerves and blood vessels, causing changes in vision.
- Risk 5: People suffering from diabetes are more likely to develop glaucoma compared to non-diabetics. On the other hand, people having a certain type of glaucoma are also at risk of developing diabetes. A person having open-angle glaucoma is more prone to develop diabetes than a person without eye disease. Diabetic people are more likely to develop glaucoma after they have developed diabetic retinopathy.
How to prevent diabetic eye diseases?
Now, that you are aware that having diabetes puts you at a higher risk of developing certain eye diseases, it is important that you take preventive measures to preserve your vision. Here are a few important things you should do to reduce your risk of developing diabetic eye diseases:
- Get your eyes tested every year: Most of the diabetic eye diseases do not show any symptoms in the early stages. A dilated eye exam allows your ophthalmologist to examine the health of the retina and optic nerve. Regularly monitoring your eyes’ health is the best way to seek medical treatment before the disease reaches an advanced stage.
- Keep sugar levels in check: It goes without saying that maintaining good control of your blood sugar helps prevent these problems. If you are prone to type 2 diabetes through hereditary, you need to be more cautious to keep your blood sugar levels in control.
- Quit smoking: If you smoke, your risk for diabetes and therefore, diabetic eye diseases is higher.
- Exercise and diet: Regular exercise and avoiding food that could increase blood sugar levels is the simplest and most effective way to control your diabetes.
If you are suffering from Diabetes, consult our eye specialists in Kolkata. You can book an online consultation or visit your nearest Disha Hospitals branch.