If you have diabetes, then you have to be painstakingly careful about your eye health. Diabetes has the potential to take your eyesight from you if you do not manage it properly.
Diabetic retinopathy is one such way diabetes can ruin your vision. It can occur anytime in anyone who has diabetes. That means you must track the health of your eyes the same as you do other symptoms and functions of your body.
Keep reading to learn more about diabetic retinopathy. See why it should concern you and what you can do to ensure you maintain your eyesight.
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye complication caused by diabetes. As diabetes develops, it can cause damage to the blood vessels in your retina.
Your retina is a thin sheet of tissue that lines the back inner wall of your eye. It is what sends light signals to your brain for interpretation. You cannot see without your retina because the light entering your eyes cannot reach your brain.
Diabetic retinopathy causes the blood vessels in your retina to weaken. The weakened blood vessels then leak blood and fluids into your eye.
These fluids can interfere with your eyesight and even cause vision loss. If diabetic retinopathy develops long enough, it can cause new blood vessels to grow in your retina.
These new vessels are weak and can leak more fluid. They can also create scar tissue on your retina, which can pull it off the back wall of your eye.
This situation is a detached retina. Retinal detachments are medical emergencies and require rapid treatment to save your vision.
If you have diabetes, the easiest way to treat diabetic retinopathy is to control your blood sugar. The less controlled your blood sugar is, the more likely it is you will develop diabetic retinopathy.
Still, there is no guaranteed way to ensure you won’t develop diabetic retinopathy. Seeing your eye doctor frequently is the best way to ensure a diabetes-related condition won’t damage your eyesight.
By having regular eye exams, your eye doctor can track any changes in your eyes. If you have diabetes, they will likely recommend you see them twice a year or more, depending on the health of your eyes.
There is no cure for diabetic retinopathy. Once you have it, the best you can do is manage the symptoms and work to prevent vision loss.
Fortunately, there are various treatments for diabetic retinopathy. They can slow the disease’s progression and even halt it.
The only way to ensure that you can get these treatments is to see your eye doctor regularly. If they notice changes in your eyes, they can get you the proper treatment to make sure you keep your eyesight.
Treatments focus on preventing new blood vessel growth and fluid leaks. A few drugs can get injected into your eyes that inhibit the development of the new weak blood vessels.
In some cases, these drugs get used in conjunction with a procedure called photocoagulation. Photocoagulation works to stop leaking in weak blood vessels.
If you have diabetes, you must see your eye doctor regularly. Otherwise, you risk permanent vision loss from complications like diabetic retinopathy.
Schedule an appointment at Advanced Eye Care in New Lenox, IL. Don’t let diabetes take your vision!
