If you have diabetes, you must make regular appointments with your local optometrist. Here’s how diabetes can affect your vision and the importance of diabetic retinal exams.
Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that results from damaged blood vessels in the retina, often brought about by poorly controlled blood sugar.
Regular diabetic retinal exams are therefore crucial for patients with diabetes, as these tests allow your optometrist to check for:
- Damaged nerve tissue
- Changes to your retinal blood vessels
- Macular edema
- Vision loss
- Fatty deposits on the retina
Diabetic Retinal Exams Play a Key Role in Preventing Vision Loss
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness in patients under the age of 65 years. The good news? Early detection and treatment can reduce your risk of vision loss by 95%. That’s why it’s so important to schedule regular appointments with your eye doctor if you suffer from diabetes.
At Market Mall Optometry, we offer affordable and comprehensive diabetic retinal exams to protect the quality of your vision and the health of your eyes.
Want to know how we can help protect you against vision loss?
3 Ways Diabetes Can Affect Your Vision
Some patients with diabetes can develop a serious vision condition called diabetic retinopathy. If this is not treated on time, it can lead to blindness. This is a frightening fact.
Losing your vision can affect many things, including your:
- Quality of life
- Career
- Independence
- Family and personal life
The good news? If eye complications from diabetes do start to develop, they can nearly always be treated to avoid long-term problems, as long as they’re detected and diagnosed in time, which is why regular diabetic retinal exams are so important.
In addition to diabetic retinopathy, diabetes can also increase your risk of other vision problems, including:
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Blurry Vision
Blurred vision is one of the most common signs that your diabetes isn’t under control. When your blood sugar levels are high for a long time, it can cause your lens to swell, distorting your vision and causing it to be blurred.
How long does the swelling last? It can take approximately six weeks after getting your blood sugar levels under control for the swelling to subside completely.
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TIP: If you have diabetes, you shouldn’t purchase new eyeglasses or contacts until your condition has been under control for at least two months, because the prescription will fit the swollen eye lens and won’t work once the swelling has gone down. |
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Cataracts
Your eye lens is responsible for allowing you to see and focus on an image and cataracts usually cloud this lens with debris, causing poor vision. While cataracts are a natural part of the aging process, patients with diabetes tend to get them earlier and lose their vision faster.
Some of the signs that you may have cataracts include:
- Light sensitivity
- Cloudy vision
- Double vision
- Need for frequent prescription change
- Poor night vision and difficulty driving
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Weakened Blood Vessels
The worst effect that diabetes has on your eyes is that it damages the blood vessels in your retina. After many years of uncontrolled sugar levels, the walls of the retinal blood vessels will become weak and thin, and this will cause them to bulge out and form micro-aneurysms.
Vision Loss
These weak areas can leak a fatty protein, and if this leaks into the macula (the center of your retina), it will cause swelling and make it difficult to see. If left untreated, this condition can cause changes in your vision that will be permanent.
Protect Your Vision
At Market Mall Optometry, we understand just how important a clear vision is to your quality of life. We offer a wide range of comprehensive services from diabetic retinal exams to glaucoma testing and cataract management, to ensure your eyes stay healthy.
To find out more, contact us at 403-286-4884 or book an eye exam today.
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