What can I do to prevent eye problems in diabetes?
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To prevent diabetes-related eye problems, you can do as follows:
Keep your blood glucose and blood pressure (BP) as close to normal as you can.Have an eye care professional examine your eyes once a year. Have this exam even if your vision is okay. The eye care professional will use drops to make the black part of your eyes-pupils-bigger. This process is called dilating your pupil, which allows the eye care professional to see the back of your eye. Finding eye problems early and getting treatment right away will help prevent more serious problems later on.Ask your eye care professional to check for signs of cataracts and glaucoma.If you are planning to get pregnant soon, ask your doctor if you should have an eye exam.If you are pregnant and have diabetes, see an eye care professional during your first three months of pregnancy.Don't smoke.This answer is based on source information from the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC).
To prevent diabetes-related eye problems, you can do as follows: Keep your blood glucose and blood pressure (BP) as close to normal as you can.Have an eye care professional examine your eyes once a year. Have this exam even if your vision is okay.... More -
Dr. Jack Merendino of The Best Life answered:Diabetes remains one of the most common causes of vision loss. If you have diabetes, it's crucial that you see an ophthalmologist or optometrist at least annually, and the examination needs to include glaucoma screening and a careful examination of your retina.
If your eye doctor thinks that there is evidence of retinal disease, he will refer you to a retina specialist. The specialist may decide you need a fluorescein angiogram. This is a test in which a special dye is injected into a vein; it allows the doctor to see where your blood vessels may be leaking blood or fluid or where there may be aneurysms, small areas of weakness in the vessel walls that cause the vessels to bulge and possibly rupture. If the test confirms any of these problems, you may be a candidate for laser photocoagulation, a treatment that helps seal off leaking vessels.
Laser treatment can also reduce neovascularization, also called proliferative retinopathy. This is a condition in which the retina, which is not getting enough oxygen, makes a hormone called vascular endothelial growth factor, or VEGF. VEGF causes new blood vessels to grow, and it usually helps tissues recover after injury. However, in the eye the new vessels are prone to leak blood and fluid into the retina and surrounding tissues. Laser treatment can often eliminate these vessels. If bleeding into the eye is severe, the person may need a vitrectomy, the surgical removal of the gel in front of the retina. The gel is normally clear but may become clouded by blood. After removal, the gel is replaced with a clear saltwater solution.
Diabetes remains one of the most common causes of vision loss. If you have diabetes, it's crucial that you see an ophthalmologist or optometrist at least annually, and the examination needs to include glaucoma screening and a careful examination of... More -
Keeping your blood sugars in control is the most effective way to prevent eye problems. Blood pressure and cholesterol should also be monitored and controlled. Most importantly, if you smoke you need to stop smoking!Keeping your blood sugars in control is the most effective way to prevent eye problems. Blood pressure and cholesterol should also be monitored and controlled. Most importantly, if you smoke you need to stop smoking! More
