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How Diabetes Can Affect Your Eye Health

Diabetes continues to be a growing problem in the United States, and statistics show that roughly 34 million Americans live with diabetes. It tends to affect people over the age of 65 more severely than younger people, but men and women in their 40s and 50s can also be affected by diabetes. Eating a poor diet, family history, and a sedentary lifestyle are a few factors that lead to developing diabetes. It’s important to know that diabetes can negatively affect you in a variety of ways, including your vision. Here’s what to know about it and how your ophthalmologist can help.

How Diabetes can Damage Your Eyes

Diabetes can affect your eyes and vision in several ways. Cataracts, blurry vision, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma are just a few conditions that can affect people with diabetes. Glaucoma is one of the most common eye condition that is linked to diabetes.

The Link Between Diabetes and Glaucoma

Several types of glaucoma can affect people with diabetes. Secondary glaucoma is a type of glaucoma that is a result of another medical condition such as diabetes. Neovascular glaucoma is one of the most common types of secondary glaucoma that diabetics are at risk of developing. Neovascular glaucoma is caused by new blood vessels being formed in the eyes. Unfortunately, the new blood vessels are fragile and can leak or burst due to fluid pressure inside the eyes. Surgery is often the best way to treat this type of glaucoma. If left untreated, neovascular glaucoma can cause vision loss and blindness.

Are Diabetics at Greater Risk for Glaucoma?

People with diabetes are at a much greater risk of developing glaucoma than people who don’t have diabetes. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, people with diabetes are twice as likely to develop glaucoma. Glaucoma is a serious condition that requires regular visits to the doctor, treatment, and regular testing.

With regular testing and visits to your opthalmologist, they can limit the damage done to your eyesight by prescribing treatments to maintain proper eye pressure. If you already have vision loss due to glaucoma, it can’t be restored by glaucoma treatments, so you’ll have to correct your vision with glasses or contact lenses.

Preventing Glaucoma

There are some important steps diabetics can take to help prevent glaucoma or reduce the amount of damage it does to their eyes and vision. Regular comprehensive eye exams with dilation can help prevent glaucoma and maintaining good blood sugar levels can also prevent glaucoma, eye damage, and vision loss. Another way to prevent glaucoma and maintain good eye health is to maintain your overall health. Eating a healthy diet, along with regular exercise and taking your prescribed medications, can help to keep your eyes and eyesight in good condition.

Schedule a Consultation

With multiple offices in Mercer County, NJ and Bucks County, PA, Campus Eye Group is here to help you with all of your vision care and treatment needs. We offer comprehensive exams, treatment, and surgery for vision correction, cataract removal, and other eye diseases and conditions. Schedule your consultation with our team by calling or filling out our online form.