Does All Diabetes Patients Suffer From a Reduction in Sight?
There are some factors that accelerate the retinal damage in diabetes patients; such as the use of cigarettes, pregnancy, anemia, underlying kidney disease, high cholesterol, and hypertension, speed up the damaging process of diabetes. 90% of the patients with a history of 15-20 years of diabetes suffer from retinal disease. When blood sugar levels are high, in the long term, blood vessels in the eye are affected, and the nutrition going to the nerve layer called retina is disrupted. New vessel formations occur in the retina and liquid leaks from these vessels. Due to the leak in the retinal vessels, liquid pools up in the retina, and the retina gets swollen. Since there is also lipid content within the leaking liquid, these form layers called exudate inside the retina and causes the eyesight to degrade. If it is diagnosed during the period of new vessels forming, there might not be any change in sight at all. However, this period progresses extremely rapid, and can change into dangerous forms in the future, generating rapid loss of sight.
How Does Diabetes Cause Blindness?
Diabetes affects the thin vessels of the retina. Due to the damage in blood vessels, it causes a liquid discharge. This liquid that leaks out of the vessels leads to edema in the sight center. Internal bleeding within the eye might cause loss of sight. Strips form in the retina, stretching it, which may lead to detachment and ruptures. Loss of sight in the sight center might occur due to malnutrition.
Can Diabetes Be Kept Under Control?
- Routine check-up’s and follow up of patients without the need of a sight problem is the first step in treatment. Early diagnosis and treatment will result in positive outcomes.
- Taking good care of diabetes, regulation of hypertension, and decrease of lipid ratios in the blood, significantly keeps eye problems related to diabetes at bay.