- Quick Start to Healthy Weight Loss
- Black Men Can Beat Prostate Cancer
- Health Screenings for Older Black Men
- Healthy Man of the Month for July 2016
- HIV Testing is HIV Prevention
- Your ‘Mental’ Endurance
- Bisexual Health Priorities
- Entertainment CEO DonJuan Clark
- New Drug Helps Men with Melanoma
- ‘Really, Really Messed Up My Life’
Diabetes Eye Disease
Talk of diabetes seems to be everywhere these days, from social media to talk shows. In fact, 26 million people have diabetes, and this number is increasing, putting more people at risk for health complications like diabetic eye disease.
Diabetic eye disease includes cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, which is the most common form of the disease. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in adults 20–74 years of age. More than 800,000 African Americans have diabetic retinopathy, and this number will likely reach 1.2 million by 2030. While everyone who has diabetes can get diabetic eye disease, African Americans are at higher risk of losing vision or going blind from it.
“The longer a person has diabetes, the greater is his or her risk of developing diabetic eye disease,” said Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Eye Institute (NEI). “If you have diabetes, be sure to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Don’t wait until you notice an eye problem to have an exam, because vision that is lost cannot be restored.”
Unfortunately, diabetic eye disease often has no early warning signs.
Research has also shown that when people with diabetes have good control of their blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, they can help delay getting diabetic eye disease, or slow its progress. In addition to having annual comprehensive dilated eye exams, people with diabetes should do the following to keep their health on TRACK:
- Take your medications.
- Reach and maintain a healthy weight.
- Add physical activity to your daily routine.
- Control your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
- Kick the smoking habit.
Family matters. So if you or someone in your family has diabetes, set your sight on healthy vision. Schedule a comprehensive dilated eye exam today. For more information on diabetic eye disease and tips on finding an eye care professional and financial assistance for eye care, visit nei.nih.gov/
The source for this article is the National Eye Health Education Program.