Diabetes and Your Eyes

People with diabetes have a very high risk for developing a variety of serious eye problems. At Central Valley Eye Medical Group, we work with our patients to head off, if possible, serious eye conditions that develop with diabetes. If we can’t prevent these conditions, we help our patients manage them.

Early diagnosis is the key

One thing that is most unfortunate about various eye problems is that they often don’t show any early symptoms. Before the patient knows it, he or she already has eye damage. Eye conditions with diabetes don’t scream for attention. But the pros at Central Valley Eye will spot these problems early, which is key to successful outcomes.

For our patients, regular eye exams enable us to spot these conditions. But if you have any of the following symptoms, we need to see you immediately:

• Your vision suddenly becomes blurry for more than two days.
• Your vision in both eyes suddenly goes away.
• You see floaters, black spots, or strings that seem to float appear in your field of vision.
• You see blinding or flashing lights.
• There is sudden pressure or pain in your eyes.

Common eye complications related to diabetes

Glaucoma

Diabetes increases the likelihood of a person developing glaucoma by over 40% over someone without diabetes. This risk increases as a person ages, particularly if they have had diabetes a long time. Glaucoma is a result of the buildup of pressure in the eye because drainage is significantly slowed down. This pressure eventually affects the optic nerve, causing vision damage.

Cataracts

Cataracts are a very common age-related eye condition. But a person with diabetes can develop cataracts at a younger age. Overall, diabetes increases the chances of developing cataracts by 60%. In cataracts, the lenses of the eyes become clouded and need to be replaced with artificial lenses.

Retinopathy

Retinopathy is a group of disorders that affect the retina of the eye. They are classified as non-proliferative and proliferative. Almost all patients with Type 1 diabetes will develop non-proliferative retinopathy, while only a smaller percentage of Type 2 diabetes patients develop it.

If you have diabetes, having the team at Central Valley Eye Medical Group perform regular eye exams is very important to maintaining your vision. Call us at 1-800-244-9907 if you have any questions or to schedule an appointment.

Posted in: Diabetic Eye Care