Article title: Keep your eyes healthy: NIDDK
Conditions: diabetic retinopathy, lens (eye), retina, optic nerve, vitreous, diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 diabetes, cataracts, Glaucoma
Source: NIDDK
Too much sugar in the blood for a long time causes diabetes problems. This high blood sugar can damage many parts of the body, such as the eyes, heart, and blood vessels. Diabetes problems can be scary, but there is a lot you can do to prevent them or slow them down.
This booklet is about eye problems caused by diabetes. You will learn the things you can do each day and during each year to stay healthy and prevent diabetes problems.
| High blood sugar can cause eye problems. |
| Follow the healthy eating plan that you and your doctor or dietitian have worked out. Eat your meals and snacks at around the same times each day. | |
| Be active a total of 30 minutes most days. Ask your doctor what activities are best for you. | |
| Take your diabetes medicine at the same times each day. | |
| Check your blood sugar every day. Each time you check your blood sugar, write the number in your record book. Call your doctor if your numbers are too high or too low for 2 to 3 days. | |
| Check your feet every day for cuts, blisters, sores, swelling, redness, or sore toenails. | |
| Brush and floss your teeth and gums every day. | |
| Don't smoke. |
| Dilated eye | Undilated eye |
High blood sugar and high blood pressure from diabetes can hurt four parts of your eye:
|
This is a picture of |
Retina damage happens slowly. Your retinas have tiny blood vessels that are easy to damage. Having high blood sugar and high blood pressure for a long time can damage these tiny blood vessels.
First, these tiny blood vessels swell and weaken. Some blood vessels then become clogged and do not let enough blood through. At first, you might not have any loss of sight from these changes. This is why you need to have a dilated eye exam once a year even if your sight seems fine.
One of your eyes may be damaged more than the other. Or both eyes may have the same amount of damage.
Diabetic retinopathy (REH-tih-NOP-uh-thee) is the medical term for the most common diabetes eye problem.
As diabetes retina problems get worse, new blood vessels grow. These new blood vessels are weak. They break easily and leak blood into the vitreous of your eye. The leaking blood keeps light from reaching the retina.
You may see floating spots or almost total darkness. Sometimes the blood will clear out by itself. But you might need surgery to remove it.
Over the years, the swollen and weak blood vessels can form scar tissue and pull the retina away from the back of the eye. If the retina becomes detached, you may see floating spots or flashing lights.
You may feel as if a curtain has been pulled over part of what you are looking at. A detached retina can cause loss of sight or blindness if you don't take care of it right away.
Call your doctor right away if you think you have a detached retina.
First, keep your blood sugar and blood pressure as close to normal as you can.
Your eye doctor may suggest laser treatment, which is when a light beam is aimed into the retina of the damaged eye. The beam closes off leaking blood vessels. It may stop blood and fluid from leaking into the vitreous. Laser treatment may slow the loss of sight.
If a lot of blood has leaked into your vitreous and your sight is poor, your eye doctor might suggest you have surgery called a vitrectomy (vih-TREK-toh-mee). A vitrectomy removes blood and fluids from the vitreous of your eye. Then clean fluid is put back into the eye. The surgery often makes your eyesight better.
You may not get any signs of diabetes retina damage or you may get one or more signs:
|
If you have retina damage from diabetes, you may have blurry or double vision. |
Yes. You can get two other eye problems--cataracts and glaucoma. People without diabetes can get these eye problems, too. But people with diabetes get them more often and at a younger age.
Eye Care Professionals (ophthalmologists, optometrists)
To find an eye doctor near you, ask your doctor for a recommendation or contact a nearby hospital or medical school.
Look for the American Academy of Ophthalmology on the Internet at http://www.eyenet.org/ and click on "Find an Ophthalmologist."
Diabetes Teachers (nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and other health professionals)
To find a diabetes teacher near you, call the American Association of Diabetes Educators toll-free at 1-800-TEAMUP4 (1-800-832-6874), or look on the Internet at http://www.aadenet.org/ and click on "Find an Educator."
Recognized Diabetes Education Programs (teaching programs approved by the American Diabetes Association)
To find a program near you, call toll-free at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383), or see www.diabetes.org/education/edustate2.asp on the Internet.
Dietitians
Government
The "Prevent Diabetes Problems" series includes seven booklets that can help you learn more about how to prevent diabetes problems.
For free single printed copies of these booklets, call, write, fax, or email the
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
1 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3560
Phone: (301) 654-3327
Fax: (301) 907-8906
Email: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/tools/mail_ndic.htm
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse thanks the people who helped review or field-test this booklet.
| For American Association of
Diabetes Educators Lynn Grieger, R.D., C.D.E. Arlington, VT Celia Levesque, R.N., C.D.E. Montgomery, AL Teresa McMahon, Pharm.D., C.D.E. Seattle, WA Barbara Schreiner, R.N., M.N., C.D.E. Galveston, TX For American Diabetes Association Diabetes Research and Training Center |
Diabetes Research and Training
Center Indiana University School of Medicine Indianapolis, IN Madelyn Wheeler, M.S., R.D., F.A.D.A., C.D.E. Diabetes Research and Training Center Grady Health System Health Care Financing |
Indian Health Service Albuquerque, NM Ruth Bear, R.D., C.D.E. Dorinda Bradley, R.N., C.D.E. Terry Fisher, R.N. Lorraine Valdez, R.N., C.D.E. Indian Health Service Medlantic Research Center For National Eye Institute Texas Diabetes Council |
1 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892-3560
Phone: (301) 654-3327
Fax: (301) 907-8906
Email: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/tools/mail_ndic.htm
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) is a service of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK). NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1978, the clearinghouse provides information about diabetes to people with diabetes and to their families, health care professionals, and the public. NDIC answers inquiries; develops, reviews, and distributes publications; and works closely with professional and patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate resources about diabetes.
Publications produced by the clearinghouse are carefully reviewed for scientific accuracy, content, and readability.
This e-text is not copyrighted. The clearinghouse encourages users of this e-pub to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired.
NIH Publication No. 00-4279
May 2000
e-text posted: August 2000
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