What is diabetic eye disease?
Diabetic eye disease is a broad term referring to conditions that affect your eyes and are complications of diabetes. Diabetes is a condition that affects your metabolism and causes your blood sugar (glucose) levels to get high.
When you properly manage your diabetes with mindful dietary changes, exercise, and medications like insulin, possible eye problems are not as much of a concern. This is because the high levels of glucose in your blood cause diabetes complications like diabetic eye disease.
One of the most common forms of diabetic eye disease is called diabetic retinopathy. It’s a condition that causes serious vision loss because it damages blood vessels in the retina, which is the light-sensitive area in the back of your eye. Other types of diabetic eye disease include cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic macular edema.
What are the signs and symptoms of diabetic eye disease?
Diabetic eye disease might not cause any symptoms right away, but you’ll start to notice them as time goes on. Damage can accumulate for a while before you notice any discomfort or changes in your vision.
You should schedule an appointment right away at Elite Eye Care if you notice any vision changes like these. As part of your long-term diabetes management plan, Dr. Yakubov and the team might encourage you to get regular eye exams to check your eye health.
Your symptoms of diabetic retinopathy may include:
Dull color vision
- Blurriness
- Dark areas in your field of
vision
- Frequent changes in your vision
- Light flashes
- Floaters
How are diabetic eye diseases treated?
One of the most effective ways to manage or prevent diabetic eye diseases is to address the underlying diabetes. This means regulating your blood pressure with a healthy diet, exercise, and smoking cessation. You should also take insulin if your physician has prescribed it or any other medications to manage diabetes.
Ophthalmological treatments for diabetic eye diseases include:
- Anti-vascular endothelial
growth factor (Anti-VEGF) medications
- Laser photocoagulation
- Vitrectomy
- Cataract lens surgery
For any irreversible vision changes that have already occurred, Dr. Yakubov and the team can make sure your prescriptions for glasses or contact lenses are filled and up to date.
If you have diabetes and want to learn more about diabetic eye disease, call Elite Eye Care or book an appointment online today.