Diabetes and its Effects on Eyesight
What does a common man refer diabetes to? Sugar? Glucose? It actually doesn't mean just this. Diabetes is actually a multi-organ disease affecting all the parts of the body at the same time. Eyes are one of the important organs that get affected. The disease has certain side-effects that can be prevented or at least delayed with major course of actions.
When blood vessels at the back of the eyes are affected, the technical term is called diabetic retinopathy. The progression of diabetic retinopathy starts out with normal eyesight, which then becomes blurred, patchy, or distorted. These vision changes cannot be corrected with corrective lenses. Next, one may experience problems with their balance, problems reading, watching television, or recognizing people. Lastly one could become highly sensitive to limelight and experience difficulties with night vision.
It is impossible to tell who will or will not develop diabetic retinopathy when diagnosed with diabetes. Approximately two thirds of the patients that are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes will have some kind of significant retinal disease by the time they have been diagnosed for thirty five years. The other one third of patients will develop a condition called macular oedema, which is a swelling of the central area of vision.
Disease of the retina is found more often in patients who have had diabetes for at least 30 years, who are taking insulin, or whose diabetes is not controlled very well. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness in persons aged between 25-74 years in the US, responsible for more than 8000 cases of new blindness each year. This means that diabetes is responsible for 12% of blindness; the rate is even higher among certain ethnicities. UAE is placed at second number in the list of countries with patients suffering from diabetes. Almost 20% of the general population of UAE has diabetes. Most of these patients fall under type 2 diabetes which is second to Nauru. 20% of people referred to endocrinologists and diabetologists and 40% suffered with sight-threatening problems in Mexico. UAE also had the same numbers in comparison.
Blindness related to diabetes or diabetic retinopathy is one of the complications for the metabolic disease. Many of the people around the globe are not even aware that they suffer with diabetes. Some screening programs should be conducted for the welfare of the patients of diabetes. An overall screening program should pay attention towards testing the sugar level in blood as well as various other requirements of the patients like themselves moving into the communities rather than looking forward to them coming to the community for screening.
More and more people should be reached with the help of mobile clinics by the public health screenings. NGOs should also lend a helping hand in arranging these programs thereby screening people at various places for a long time. There should be a system under which patients suffering with diabetes should be followed up at each primary healthcare centre with the help of ministry of health.
Further, Good control of diabetes is the best way of preventing complications. If the disease is detected before it affects your eyes, vision loss can be prevented with the help of laser treatment. But in the case of already damaged vision, treatment can only prevent from getting worse. The most effective way of detecting any damage to your eyes would be having them checked regularly by a doctor. This should be at least every year if you are taking insulin, and every 2 years if you are not. However, if you are getting symptoms like blurred vision, especially if this comes on suddenly, then see a doctor without delay.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
About the Author
Julia Hanf author of the book How To Play the Diabetes Diet Game and Win Through a real life crisis Julia figured out how to live diabetes free. Visit http://www.yourdiabetescure.com and learn more about your solution for diabetes.
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by: JuliaHanf
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