Diabetes has become one of the most common diseases in India. It is caused when the body does not make enough insulin and cannot cope in the usual way with sugar and other carbohydrates that one eats. High sugar level affects the health but might lead to loss of vision as well. Diabetes can cause complications which affect different parts of the body and cause dangerous eyesight problems which eventually might lead to loss of vision.
The three major eye problems that people with diabetes may develop and should be aware of are cataract, glaucoma, and retinopathy.
Cataract and Diabetes
Cataract is one of the sight-related complications of diabetes that can cause blurring of vision. Although anyone can get cataract, people with diabetes get these eye problems at an earlier age than most and the condition progresses more rapidly in people with diabetes than without diabetes.
During cataract surgery, the cloudy lens is removed or cleaned out and replaced by a clear man-made lens.
Glaucoma and Diabetes
With diabetes and glaucoma, there may be no symptoms of this eye problem at all until the disease has reached an advanced stage and there is significant vision loss. In the less common form of this eye problem, symptoms can include headaches, eye pain, blurred vision, watering eyes, halos around lights, and loss of vision. Treatment of this eye problem in diabetes can include special eye drops, laser procedures, medicine, or surgery. Surgery and laser treatments are directed at improving the eye’s aqueous drainage.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in industrialized nations. The duration of diabetes is the single most important risk for developing retinopathy. So the longer one has diabetes, the greater is the risk of this serious eye problem. If retinopathy is not diagnosed early or is not treated, it can lead to vision loss.
Source: prnewswire
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