Is there a connection between vision and diabetes?
In this blog post, we will take an in-depth look at whether there is a link between vision – specifically eye diseases – and diabetes. Diabetes is a disease characterized by metabolic disorders, and therefore affects all parts of the body – including the eyes.
The relationship between diabetes and eye diseases
Diabetes, also known as sugar disease, results in high blood sugar levels. Since the eye also contains blood vessels, it is not unusual to see the blood vessels in the retina of diabetic patients become fragile, which can lead to several vision complications associated with diabetes. In the worst cases, complications can affect the retina, which can lead to irreversible blindness. If you have diabetes, you should therefore visit your eye doctor more often than the general population. More specifically, if you have type 1 diabetes, it is recommended that you have an annual check-up with your ophthalmologist after 10 years with the disease – but not before adulthood. If, on the other hand, you have type 2 diabetes, it is recommended that you visit an ophthalmologist immediately after diagnosis. Your ophthalmologist will then be able to determine how often you should have check-ups.
Eye diseases resulting from diabetes
As a general rule, complications can occur in all parts of the eye as a result of diabetes. These complications can take the form of damage to blood vessels or nerves in the eye, and diabetics may therefore develop cataracts at an earlier age than others. Fortunately, this is an eye disease that can be surgically removed without complications. Most often, diabetics whose disease affects their eyes will be affected by a specific diabetic eye disease called retinopathy. This can be a very serious eye disease, so it is important that you remember to have frequent check-ups according to your ophthalmologist’s recommendations. Fortunately, the risk of developing an eye disease due to diabetes is much lower than it was just 15 years ago, because far more diabetics today are receiving the right treatment.
What is diabetic eye disease (retinopathy)?
Retinopathy occurs exclusively in patients with diabetes, where it results in reduced blood supply and bleeding in the retina of the eye. This can contribute to reduced vision and, in the most serious cases, blindness. You may experience symptoms such as changes in vision, small bleeds, spots before your eyes, red eyes, or direct tenderness in the eye.
How is diabetic retinopathy treated?
In most cases, you will be offered a treatment consisting of laser photocoagulation. This is a completely painless treatment performed under local anesthesia and does not require hospitalization. Laser treatment is not a cure, but in the vast majority of cases where the treatment is performed early enough, it can reduce the risk of serious vision loss by up to 90%. It is therefore a treatment that allows the patient to retain their current vision when successful.