How Diabetes Affects The Eye And Vision?

While reading this article, a question might be cropping up in your mind- if diabetes is a disease that arises from our pancreas then what the hell is it doing affecting our eyes and subsequently our vision!!

To answer your query- people suffering from diabetes or sugar are more prone to contract eye diseases i.e. cataract, blurred vision, glaucoma as well as more serious conditions like diabetic retinopathy. All these diseases can potentially blind a person if remain untreated for long. However, an early stage deduction might help to reverse the damage. That is why doctors strongly recommend yearly eye check up for all especially those having diabetes.

First symptom that indicates diabetes is affecting you vision

If you have diabetes which is not under control then chances are sooner or later you would develop blurred vision which is caused due to swelling in the lens of the eye. As soon as diabetes is brought under control, this blurred vision goes away.

Diseases caused by diabetes to the eyes

Cataract which means clouding of the lens is usually associated with older people. However, in cases of diabetics, they become more likely to contract cataract at an early age. 

How it affects the eye- this eye condition prevents the light to reach the retina in the back of the eye which leads to dim or blurred vision.

Cataract treatment- the most common way of treating a cataract is removing the clouded lens of the eye with a plastic one that allows eye to function in a normal manner once again.

Diabetic retinopathy another dire eye disorder is graded depending upon its severity and leads to loss of vision if remain untreated.

How it affects the eye-the first stage of this disease which is called background retinopathy causes the blood vessels in the retina to swell and might hemorrhage.

However it doesn’t affect macula region of the eye or eyesight.

Maculopathy another stage occurs when background retinopathy does end up affecting the Macula region of the eye thus disturbing your ability to see fine details like objects in distance. Peripheral vision although remains intact.

Retinal Detachment- Proliferative Retinopathy leads to an eye condition wherein new blood vessels are formed to replace those damaged by the background retinopathy. These newly formed blood vessels gradually grow over the retina as well into vitreous gel which causes retinal detachment. In this eye condition scar tissues are formed distorting the retina and in rare cases instant loss of vision.

Treatment- diabetic retinopathy is treated with the help of laser surgery which cannot improve your eye vision but still preserve what’s left of it. Thus it’s important to catch diabetic retinopathy in its early stages.

Sharp Sight Centre hospitals in Delhi, India make sure your diseases don’t go untreated with early detection and superb surgical supervision.

Keep your diabetes under control through diet control, exercise and taking regular doses of medicine to avoid any damage to the retina of your eyes and escape from the clutches of zillions of these eye diseases.

written by: Rinkel Kapoor