How Does diabetes affect eye health?
Did you know…people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes are at a heightened risk for eye complications and peripheral neuropathy?
Have you or someone you love been diagnosed with diabetes? It’s important to know the connection between diabetes and your eye health and how to best manage both to prevent serious issues. Diabetes affects your eyes when your blood sugar is too high, damaging the blood vessels in the back of your eyes. Over time, diabetes can damage your eyes leading to poor vision or even blindness.
Diabetic eye disease is a term for a group of eye problems that can affect people with diabetes. These conditions include:
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Diabetic macular edema
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- When symptoms do occur, they may include:
- Blurry vision
- Frequently changing vision
- Vision loss
- Poor color vision
- Spots or dark strings (also called floaters)
- Flashes of light
Talk with your eye doctor if you have any of these symptoms.
Take Control of Your Health
You can take steps to prevent diabetic eye disease, or keep it from getting worse. The best ways to manage your diabetes and keep your eyes healthy are to manage your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol, and have a comprehensive eye exam once a year or more frequently if recommended by your eyecare provider.
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For routine appointments only. Please call us at 970-352-6688 if it is an emergency.