November is Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month

November is Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month. So, Dr. Copeland, your Kalamazoo optometrist wanted to share some information about how diabetes can affect your eye health. Diabetes is a metabolic disorder involving high blood sugar levels that needs to be managed. The CDC states that one in ten people have diabetes and one in three have prediabetes. Diabetes can negatively affect many body systems with the eye being no exception. In fact, diabetes can even lead to blindness if left uncontrolled. If you have diabetes, you should have an annual diabetic eye examination. This examination allows Dr. Copeland to have a direct view of your blood vessels making sure they are staying healthy and your diabetes is controlled.

Common Types of Diabetic Eye Disease

  • Diabetic retinopathy: This diabetic eye disease is the leading cause of blindness in diabetics. Caused by high blood sugar levels, if left uncontrolled, the damage can be severe. The high sugar levels damage the retinal blood vessels and cut the retina off from its blood supply. This triggers the growth of abnormal blood vessels. These abnormal vessels break easily and bleed inside the eye which leads to a sudden and significant decrease in vision.
  • Glaucoma: Glaucoma is an umbrella term for eye diseases that involve pressure in the eye and damage to the optic nerve.
  • Cataracts: Built-up proteins cause the lens of the eye to become cloudy. This causes blurred vision, nearsightedness, and other eye conditions. 
  • Diabetic macular edema: A diabetic eye disease where fluid builds up in the macula which causes serious issues with the eye’s central vision.

Signs You Need to See Your Eye Doctor

If you have any form of diabetes, seeing an optometrist for regular diabetic eye exams is essential. This is even more true for those with additional risk factors, including obesity, age, smoker status, and high blood pressure and/or cholesterol. You should see your eye doctor before there are any symptoms, because catching it in the early stages, makes it much more manageable. 

If you are having any of the symptoms below, you may have diabetic eye disease and should schedule an exam right away.

  • Blurry or distorted vision
  • Floaters and flashes of light in your vision
  • Dark spots in your vision
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