Look Out For Diabetic Eye Disease

Across the U.S., millions of people with diabetes face an increased risk of vision loss from related eye diseases. Routine eye care is important for everyone, but if you have diabetes, you may need to stay even more vigilant than others.

Diabetes can raise your risk of developing glaucoma and cataracts. You might also be vulnerable to diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. Some of these diseases might not show symptoms until a portion of your vision is already gone, so eye exams are the best way to catch and control them before they have a chance to affect your quality of life.

Mira Mesa Optometry is prepared to help protect your eyes from diabetic complications. Find the support you need by booking an eye exam with one of our optometrists today.

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What Are the Most Common Diabetic Eye Diseases?

Glaucoma

More than 3 million Americans have glaucoma, a class of diseases characterized by optic nerve damage. Most cases are related to high pressure inside the eye, although some types of glaucoma can be caused by other factors. But all forms of glaucoma can cause blindness without professional help.

Having diabetes doubles your risk for open-angle glaucoma. This form of the disease is usually impossible to notice before it starts affecting your vision—unless your eye doctor catches it first.

Optometrists can’t help you regain vision lost to glaucoma. But if you see your eye doctor often enough, they can diagnose glaucoma before it progresses and help control its effects. We perform glaucoma screenings during each diabetic eye exam at our practice.

Cataracts

Over 24 million Americans have cataracts, which turn the eye’s lens cloudy and pale. Most people face a higher risk of cataracts when they get older. But with diabetes, they’re more likely to appear before then.

In many cases, vision lost to cataracts can be surgically restored by removing the affected lens and putting an artificial one in its place. Ophthalmologists around the world perform cataract surgeries every year to help patients see clearly again.

Diabetic Retinopathy & Diabetic Macular Edema

Diabetes increases your blood sugar, causing blood vessels attached to your retina to swell with fluid. Sometimes, those veins burst and leak into your retina, which leads to diabetic retinopathy.

Your body might adapt to the broken blood vessels by growing new ones, but the replacement blood vessels don’t usually grow properly. They can even cause scar tissue to form in the eye, which can displace your retina and damage your vision.

Without treatment, diabetic retinopathy can also damage a part of your retina called the macula, causing diabetic macular edema. The macula’s job is to help you see objects in the middle of your vision, so macular edema can stop you from performing many common tasks like reading and driving. You might even lose the ability to recognize the faces of people you know.

Eye Exam Frequency For People with Diabetes

Anyone with diabetes should have annual eye exams to uncover and monitor eye disease. By seeing you more often, our eye doctors have more chances to detect problems early and manage them before they damage your vision.

When’s your next eye exam scheduled? Book your appointment today by contacting us so we can look out for your ocular health and vision.

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