Diabetes &
The Eye
Eye Talk Quick Interpretation
Normal
Vision
Eye Care In Diabetes
Self-care to protect eyes
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To prevent diabetic eye disease, or to keep it from getting worse, manage your diabetes ABCs: your A1c, blood pressure, and cholesterol; and quit smoking if you smoke.
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Have a dilated eye exam at least once a year—or more often if recommended by your eye care professional.
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Eye Talk Detailed Interpretation
Question 1
Have You Noted Any Of the Following?
1. Trouble reading or seeing faraway objects
2. Seeing Floaters
3. Seeing dark, floating spots or streaks that look like cobwebs
4. Dimmer Vision
5. Struggling To See In The Dark
What could Diabetes be saying?
If Your answer was positive to one or more of the answers, your diabetes could be alerting you to get your eyes checked to rule out diabetes retinopathy.
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Here is what you should know:
The very early stages of diabetic retinopathy usually don’t have any symptoms. Some people notice changes in their vision, like trouble reading or seeing faraway objects. These changes may come and go.
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Here are some of the early signs of retinopathy:
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seeing floaters – these look like whispy clouds, floating in and out of your vision
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dimmer vision – like you’re wearing sunglasses all the time
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struggling to see when it’s dark.
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In the later stages of the disease, blood vessels in the retina start to bleed into the vitreous (gel-like fluid that fills your eye). If this happens, you may see dark, floating spots or streaks that look like cobwebs.
Diabetes
Retinopathy
Question 2
Have You Experienced Any Of the Following?
1. Blurry Vision
2. Colors that seem faded
3. Sensitivity to light
4. Trouble seeing at night
5. Double Vision
6. Lamps, sunlight, or headlights seem too bright
What Could Diabetes Be Saying?
If Your answer was positive to one or more of the answers, your diabetes could be alerting you to get your eyes checked to rule out cataracts.
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When you have diabetes, high blood sugar (blood glucose) levels over time can lead to structural changes in the lens of the eye that can accelerate the development of cataracts and leading to the changes mentioned in the question.
Diabetes
Cataract
Question 3
Does This Happen To You?
1. Difficulty in Seeing Things on The Side
2. Difficulty seeing what’s closest to your nose
3. Presence of Blind Spots
What Could Diabetes Be Saying?
If Your answer was positive to one or more of the answers, your diabetes could be alerting you to get your eyes checked to rule out glaucoma.
Diabetes doubles the chances of having glaucoma, which can lead to vision loss and blindness if not treated early.
At first, glaucoma doesn’t usually have any symptoms. That’s why half of people with glaucoma don’t even know they have it.
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Over time, you may slowly lose vision, usually starting with your side (peripheral) vision — especially the part of your vision that’s closest to your nose.
Because it happens so slowly, many people can’t tell that their vision is changing at first.
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But as the disease gets worse, you may start to notice that you can’t see things off to the side anymore.
Diabetes
Glaucoma
References:
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