Your risk of suffering from eye problems depends upon how badly you manage your blood sugar level. As long as your HbA1C, a marker of blood glucose for the last three months is under control; it is unlikely that you will develop diabetic retinopathy and other complications of diabetic nephropathy or neuropathy. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when high blood glucose level damages or clogs the blood flow within the retina. Unlike cataract and glaucoma, that can affect non-diabetic people as well, retinopathy generally occurs in diabetics. Here s what Dr Balaji Jaganmohan, Consultant Diabetologist, Apollo Sugar Clinics, Bangalore, has to say about diabetic retinopathy.
How diabetes affects the eyes?
When your blood glucose is not under control, your immunity also tends to drop, which predisposes you to various complications of diabetes like diabetic retinopathy. The risk is high as you age, which means that it not only affects the retina but also puts you at risk of other eye problems like cataract and glaucoma. Even, pre-existing co-morbidities like high cholesterol, hypertension or heart disease can further increase your risk. This is the reason why a person suffering from hypertension and diabetes is increasingly at a greater likelihood of glaucoma as the pressure inside the eye is also increased. Hence, the key to reducing your risk of diabetic complications is to control your blood sugar.
In 70% 80 % of cases, diabetic retinopathy is asymptomatic. The symptoms develop only when the damage is severe or when your blood glucose level is very high i.e. 300 400 mg/dl. As a thumb rule, most of them do not experience any symptoms, as there's no visible damage. This is why every diabetic is recommended not to wait for symptoms to develop but go for regular eye checkups. The symptoms of diabetic retinopathy are -
How to prevent it?
To prevent this, every diabetic should undergo a routine retina examination once a year even if their blood glucose is within control. Diabetics also have a metabolic memory which means that people with diabetes have normal blood glucose, but the damage that is done to an organ due to diabetes is still prevalent and cannot be reversed. There have been cases where people with normal blood sugar have shown changes in the retina or eye. Many people with controlled blood glucose level may also experience burning sensation in the feet or experience retinopathy changes. Here are some more eye care tips for diabetics you need to know.
For people with uncontrolled diabetes, a visit to a doctor depends on the severity of the problem and the changes that occur in the retina -- macular retina or proliferative retina. In extreme cases, your ophthalmologist might recommend intra-vitreous injection, an injection in the retina, or therapy to improve your condition along with proper blood glucose control. In case of massive bleeding, surgery might be required.
Image Source: Shutterstock
