In November, the American Diabetes Association has its annual campaign for American Diabetes Month. Nearly 1 in every 2 Americans have diabetes or prediabetes. One of the most important aspects of your health this condition affects is your eyes. There are plenty of diabetes eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy threatening the vision of many who are diagnosed. If you don’t take action to seek help for this, this could be you. If you want to lower your chances of being diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, here are 5 tips for protecting your eyes while going through diabetes.
How Does Diabetes Affect Your Eyes?
Having diabetes could put you at risk of various eye diseases, such as cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic macular edema. The most common eye illness is diabetic retinopathy, a diabetes complication where high blood sugar levels can damage the back of the eyes called the retina. Damaged blood vessels can swell and leak, causing blurry vision. If left undiagnosed, this condition can cause blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy can affect your vision in a couple of stages- the early stage (nonproliferative) and the advanced stage (proliferative). In the early stage, blood vessels in the retina will start to weaken and bulge. Tiny pouches start to form and can leak. Because of this, a part of the retina called the macula also starts to swell and distort your vision. During the advanced stage, the retina starts to grow new blood vessels that are more fragile. Bleeding starts, leading to a few dark spots in your vision. When the bleeding continues to get worse, so does your vision. It could take many years for diabetic retinopathy to completely cause blindness.
Can Diabetic Retinopathy be Reversed?
Reversing diabetic retinopathy could be possible when you’re able to detect the condition as early as possible. However, if you’re deep in the advanced stage of the condition, fully reversing it isn’t possible. What we do know is that it can be managed. Controlling your blood sugar levels is one of the best ways of preventing diabetic retinopathy from advancing to a higher stage. Managing your blood pressure and cholesterol is also very important. Having your eyes examined regularly will allow your ophthalmologist to diagnose and treat any retinal damage as early as possible. Some common treatments for diabetic retinopathy include laser eye surgery, medication, and vitrectomy.
Tips to Protect Your Eyes While Going Through Diabetes
Protecting your eye health from being severely diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy involves taking some action against the illness. If you’re battling diabetes, you can still take the necessary steps to prevent your vision from being threatened. I’ve already mentioned two of these tips. Here are a few other vital things to do to lower your risk of diabetic retinopathy.
Prioritize Regular Eye Exams
The older you get, the more important regular eye exams become. However, these examinations become more vital when you’re battling diabetes. You have to keep up with your vision’s health. Scheduling regular eye exams is what you must do to lower your diabetic retinopathy risk.
Best Foods to Eat for Eye Health with Diabetes
When you become diagnosed with diabetes, you have to change your diet to monitor your blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Choose foods that are low in calories and high in fiber. Research shows that foods such as the Omega-3 fatty acids of oily fish and those that are Mediterranean diet-friendly may be associated with a lower risk of diabetic retinopathy. However, foods that are high in vitamin A, C, E, and Zinc are also said to be beneficial for your eye health.
Manage Blood Sugar and Pressure Levels
When you become diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, high blood sugar levels start to have an impact on the health of your eyes. It can damage the blood vessels of your eyes and affect their lens shape. High blood sugar levels can also cause blurry vision. By controlling your blood sugar levels, you’re not only managing your diabetes efficiently, but you’re preventing your diabetic retinopathy from getting worse.
Besides managing your blood sugar, you also have to be mindful of your blood pressure. High blood pressure combined with high cholesterol can put you at a greater risk for vision problems. So be sure to go to the doctor and get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked. It’s important to be aware of your numbers and to understand what needs to be improved and how.
Protect Your Eyes with a Better Environment
Sometimes, a person’s environment can have an impact on their eye health. If you’re diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, it’s vital to protect your eyes against any environmental changes that are harming them. For example, during the summer season, be sure to use proper UV-protected sunglasses that are best for your eyes. Reduce your cell phone or computer screen time to not strain your eyes even further. Use adequate lighting while reading or being on your computer.
Adopting a Healthy Lifestyle
Another tip for protecting your eyes while going through diabetes is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Besides eating a healthy diet filled with fruits, vegetables, and other foods high in vitamins, it’s also vital to develop an exercise regimen. Regular exercise will help you control your blood sugar.
It’s also important to take your diabetes medication correctly. You must follow your doctor’s order as to when to take it, how, and how much. Also, if you were a smoker, start cutting down on that. Smoking often could put you at risk of being diagnosed with cataracts. You may also have a higher chance of getting a worse case of diabetic retinopathy faster.
Stay Aware of Any Changes to your Vision
Becoming diagnosed with diabetes causes various changes to your body, including your precious eyes. If you see any unusual changes to your vision, don’t hesitate to go to your doctor about this. Be aware of any signs of blurred vision, dark spots, or flashes of light. Also, look for signs of dry eyes. By seeking help as soon as possible, you’ll be better managing diabetic retinopathy. The longer you have diabetes, the more likely you’re going to develop diabetic retinopathy. But if you start being vigilant in protecting your eye health now by eating healthy, protecting them against any environmental elements, managing your blood sugar and pressure levels, booking regular eye exams, and adopting a healthy lifestyle, you’ll stay in control protecting your eye health while going through diabetes.
Are you diagnosed with diabetes? If so, what are your tips for protecting your eyes while going through diabetes? Feel free to share your thoughts about managing diabetic eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy in the comments below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next person you know going through diabetes.
