The Link Between Diabetes and Eye Health

Diabetes is a condition that impairs the ability of the body to correctly process food as energy. It usually occurs when the body cannot produce insulin or fails to respond to the insulin it produces. 

When this happens, the sugar in the bloodstream damages nerves and blood vessels. This damage impacts the whole body and the eyes, which have some of the most delicate blood vessels. 

Eye Conditions That Develop Due to Diabetes

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy impacts almost all people with diabetes in one form or another. The condition occurs when the blood vessels in the retina sustain damage from high blood sugar and start to leak. It can also happen when abnormal blood vessels grow on the retina's surface in response to damaged blood vessels. 

Macular Edema

The macula at the center of the retina provides central vision. The high blood sugar levels typical in diabetic patients can lead to leaking in the macula. This leads to swelling of the macula, resulting in blurry or distorted vision. 

Glaucoma

Diabetes causes neovascular glaucoma when new abnormal blood vessels form in the eye. Often, abnormal blood vessels grow on the retina, but in this situation, they grow on the eye's iris. These abnormal blood vessels block the drainage of the intraocular fluid, leading to rising eye pressure.

Cataracts

Cataracts, the buildup of protein deposits in the eye's lens that cause cloudy vision, can form much faster in people with diabetes. High blood sugar causes the faster development of the condition as well as rapid progression. The only treatment available is cataract surgery. The ophthalmologist replaces your natural eye lens with an intraocular lens.

Inflamed Eye Lens

Another common result of diabetes in the eyes is a blurry vision from the swelling of the eye's lens. The eye lens swells when the blood sugar levels in the body shift rapidly from low to normal. However, these changes are not permanent, and the eye lens returns to its normal shape and size once the blood sugar levels normalize.

What Is the Link Between Diabetes and Eye Health?

To prevent these changes, you must understand how diabetes impacts your eye health and what you can do to manage it. 

Blood Sugar

Fluctuations in blood sugar levels are the leading cause of the conditions just mentioned. Because of this, it is essential to control blood sugar levels using different management strategies like exercise and diet. Your doctor can help you decide which strategies will work best.

Cholesterol and Blood Pressure

Usually, these are comorbid with diabetes. These can aggravate your eye health by damaging various eye structures. Talk to your doctor about managing these to limit the damage they can cause. 

Smoking

Smoking can lead to further blood vessel damage in the body and the eyes. You must quit smoking if you have diabetes, which can worsen your condition and symptoms.

UV

The sun's UV rays are already dangerous to people with regular health, but they can be more damaging to people with diabetes. Exposure to UV rays will usually cause rapid development of cataracts in people with diabetes.

For more information on the link between diabetes and eye health, visit Advanced Eye Care Consultants at our office in Lake Zurich or Libertyville, Illinois. Call (847) 438-7700 or 847-994-4500​​​​​​​ to book an appointment today.