Over time, uncontrolled diabetes or chronic hyperglycemia can cause damage to the blood vessels throughout the body, including those in your eyes. When the blood vessels in the retina become damaged, diabetic retinopathy , a serious eye disease, can develop. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when the retinal blood vessels leak blood and fluid into the retina, causing blurred vision and eventually leading to vision loss.
Diabetic macular edema occurs when the fluid from the damaged blood vessels also leaks into the macula, the center of the retina, causing central vision loss and loss of vision for fine details. Treatments to help slow down the progression of these sight-threatening diseases are aimed at preventing further vision loss. Blurred vision can be a sign that your diabetes is not being controlled properly.
Speak with your doctor to determine what you can do at home to help regulate your glucose levels. In most cases, this involves consuming a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and keeping your cholesterol and blood pressure levels under control. Contact your eye doctor as soon as possible if blurred vision comes on suddenly or gets worse over time— this can indicate a serious condition.
If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, be sure to visit your eye doctor regularly for follow up eye exams. Schedule an appointment with an eye doctor for a comprehensive diabetic eye exam, and to discuss any questions you may have about treating this condition. Frequent eye exams, as well as controlling your blood sugar levels will help to ensure that your eyes and body remain healthy.
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The growth of new blood vessels does not provide normal blood flow to the retina, however, and it can lead to scarring and wrinkling. The retina can even become detached, causing a loss of vision. The fragile new vessels can also bleed out. Symptoms include floating spots in the vision. If a bleed from the retina into the central fluid of the eye is big, a person can sometimes lose sight in that eye. After this, they will only be able to tell light from dark.
Eventually, new vessels can also start forming in the iris, the part that gives people their eye color. This affects the balance of fluid inside the eye. Glaucoma is another problem that can develop over time.
This is a buildup of pressure in the eye that can affect the main nerve going from the eye to the brain. A positive outcome is when diabetes is well-controlled, and tests cannot detect changes to the back of the eye for a number of years.
When a doctor finds signs of retinopathy at its earliest stages, they can suggest ways to manage the problem. These include monitoring and controlling those things that can affect eye health, such as high blood sugar level and high blood pressure.
A person with a diagnosis of eye problems related to diabetes should start to take preventive measures to protect their vision. Retinopathy is a progressive condition that gets worse if blood sugar levels remain too high, but managing blood sugar levels can help to reduce the risk. Keeping blood sugar levels under control can prevent new problems from appearing and slow down any retinopathy that has already started.
The same diet, lifestyle measures, and medical treatment that people use for diabetes can also treat and prevent eye problems.
Good blood sugar control also helps to keep high blood pressure, or hypertension , under control. This is another risk factor for eye problems. Regular checks and strict diabetes management are the best way to prevent eye problems and to manage complications once they occur.
If retinopathy becomes severe, an eye doctor may recommend :. Injections in the eye : A doctor may use a very fine needle to inject a drug, known as anti-VEGF, into the eye. This aims to stop new blood vessels from forming in the eye. Laser surgery : Laser treatment on the back of the eye can reduce swelling at the center of the retina.
It can also shrink or prevent abnormal blood vessel growth and prevent bleeds. Microsurgery : A surgeon will make a small cut in the eye to remove some of the jelly-like substance that has built up behind the lens.
They will use a local anesthetic, so the person will not feel any pain during the procedure. Diabetes is just one cause of blurriness. Other causes include a deterioration of eyesight. This can happen at any time, but especially as people get older. Dry eyes are a common cause of blurriness. One cause of dry eyes is when blinking is reduced over long periods of looking at a screen. Computer workers may notice blurred vision due to dry eyes.
Medical causes of blurred vision include cataracts and glaucoma. Both are more likely to develop in people with diabetes. Sometimes blurred vision can occur after exercising or after a hot bath, because of a condition known as optic neuritis. Other symptoms of this condition include:. Other possible reasons include low blood sugar, low blood pressure , running in the wind or cold, or the effect of sun or sunscreen.
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