Diabetes

What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that prevents your body from making or using insulin to break down sugar in your bloodstream.

How does diabetes affect the eye?

• Change in nearsightedness and farsightedness.
• Change in premature presbyopia (the inability to focus on close object).
• Fluctuating or blurring of vision.
• Occasional double vision.
• Loss of visual field.
• Flashes and floaters.

These early signs of diabetes are detected in a thorough optometric examination. The most serious eye problem associated with diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. It is important to control your diabetes as much as possible to minimize your risk of developing retinopathy; which is a leading cause of blindness in adults. Cataracts and glaucoma are two other eye conditions associated with diabetes.

What is diabetic retinopathy?
It's the weakening or swelling of the tiny blood vessels in the retina of your eye; resulting in blood leakage, the growth of new blood vessels, and other changes.

Diabetic retinopathy that is left untreated may cause blindness. Once the damage has occurred, the effects are usually permanent.

What are the risk factors for developing retinopathy?

• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• Drinking alcohol
• Pregnancy

How can I prevent diabetes related eye problems?

• Monitor and maintain control of your diabetes.
• Visit with your physician regularly.
• Follow instructions about diet, exercise, and medications.
• See Dr. Lynch each year for a comprehensive eye exam.