How Diabetes Affects Eyes

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a condition where the fluid inside your eye doesn’t drain properly, leaving excess pressure inside your eye, which can damage your eye’s nerves and blood vessels. There are two types: open-angle glaucoma and neovascular glaucoma (NVG). Diabetics are more likely to develop NVG, but this form of glaucoma is more aggressive and less common. With NVG, new blood vessels grow on your iris, block the normal flow of fluid out of the eye and raise your eye pressure.

Symptoms of open-angle glaucoma include nothing at all, which is an extreme disadvantage because the disease has a chance to advance and cause further damage. On the other hand, NVG’s symptoms include headaches, eye aches, watering eyes and loss of vision. Treatment for open-angle glaucoma ranges from special eye drops to laser procedures to surgery. Generally speaking, NVG is more difficult to treat. One option, though, is laser surgery to remove the extra blood vessels.

Retinopathy

As one of the leading causes of blindness in the U.S., diabetic retinopathy is caused by the damage of small blood vessels. The longer you’ve been living with diabetes, the greater your risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. Commonly referred to as “microvascular complication,” symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include eye floaters, distorted color perception and vision loss. By controlling your blood sugar levels, you can greatly reduce your chances for developing this condition.

If you notice changes in your vision, particularly if you are diabetic, make an appointment with your eye doctor.

What Diabetes Does To Your Eyes - Page 2  was originally published on blackdoctor.org