Diabetes is a dangerous disease that is known to affect the vision and can even lead to blindness. However, taking a few precautions and opting for timely treatment can help you avoid this problem to quite an extent.
Here are few FAQ’s often asked by patients suffering from vision related problems and having a diabetes history. The answers have been given by Dr. Edoardo Zinicola, Consultant, Vitreoretinal Surgery & Medical Retina, Moorfields Eye Hospital, Dubai
Q1. What is the link between diabetes and eye problems?
A1: One of the most frequent and potentially serious health complications of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, which damages the blood vessels in the retina and affects vision – and can lead to blindness. In fact, diabetes affects all the organs in the body, including the eyes. Diabetes is a microvascular and macrovascular disease, which means that it affects all the large and small vascular blood vessels of the body. In the eye, the main part affected is the retina, which is one of the most vascularized areas of tissue in the human body and is therefore one of the organs most affected by diabetes.
Q2: How does diabetes increase the risks for glaucoma and cataract?
A2: Diabetic eye disease includes glaucoma and cataracts. Diabetic patients have a much
higher risk of developing cataracts (clouding of the lens), and at an earlier age, even if they are not directly correlated to diabetes. People with diabetes are twice as likely to develop glaucoma, although the relationship is still unclear. ‘Neovascular glaucoma’ is the main type of glaucoma affecting diabetes patients and occurs in the very late stage of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy – but not in all patients. Neovascular glaucoma is rare and is always associated with other abnormalities, diabetes being the most common. It can occur if new blood vessels grow on the iris (the colored part of the eye), closing off the fluid flow in the eye and raising the eye pressure. It is a difficult disease to treat – laser surgery and drainage implants have had some success.
Q3: Can diabetes lead to blindness?
A3: Health complications occur in the vast majority of people with diabetes and for a high percentage they could have been avoided with proper and vigilant monitoring and treatment. Vision related problems are some of the most common and serious complications of diabetes and – left untreated – diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness. Of course, the single most effective treatment for diabetic eye disease is prevention – good control of diabetes and any associated high blood pressure can delay or avoid significant eye problems. Prevention of diabetic eye disease starts with regular eye examinations which can so often provide an indicator of the diabetes or blood pressure control. Regular screening should begin from an early age, regardless of whether there are vision symptoms or not.
Q4: What are the treatment options? How can we manage diabetes to prevent vision loss?
A4: Once retinopathy is present, direct eye treatment may be needed and the type of treatment depends on the problem. Laser photocoagulation, intravitreal injections of steroids or medicines known as VEGF blocking agents remains the first line of treatment.
When the eye disease is advanced then surgery can help.
