Blindness

Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20 to 74 years. Diabetic retinopathy causes 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of blindness in the U.S. each year.

Diabetic retinopathy occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels inside the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

If you have diabetic retinopathy, at first you may not notice changes to your vision. But over time, diabetic retinopathy can get worse and cause vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes.

Retinopathy can be detected through a simple and painless test. Both pupils are dilated to allow the eye doctor to view the vessels for any signs of retinopathy.

Blood glucose control is imperative to preventing diabetic retinopathy. Additionally, achieving normal blood pressure is critical too, as high-blood pressure causes retinopathy. Furthermore, if you have a family history of diabetes, it is imperative to be tested for pre-diabetes (the stage prior to type 2 diabetes), as it is known that pre-diabetes on average occurs 10 years prior to the clinical diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Given that many whom are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have retinopathy and/or nephropathy (kidney damage), and/or cardiovascular disease (CVD), regular testing for pre-diabetes enables taking action to reverse pre-diabetes and possibly prevent the progression to type 2 diabetes.

Diabetic retinopathy can be stopped using laser treatment—performed by an ophthalmologist and working with a diabetes management team to implement a diabetes management program that helps achieve normal blood glucose levels. Furthermore, normal blood pressure is critical, including smoking cessation. It is imperative to be under care by a knowledgeable physician, as studies have shown that certain exercises and/or implementing tight glucose control too quickly can worsen retinopathy.