Windows To Your Health Your Eyes

By Renee Bovelle, MD

Envision Eye & Laser Center

. http://www.envisioneyeandlaser.com

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Windows To Your Health Your Eyes

Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults aged 20 to 74 years.
When you have diabetes, your body cant properly control the levels of sugar in your blood. If your body doesnt produce insulin you have type 1 diabetes. If your bodys tissues dont respond properly to the action of insulin (insulin resistance) you have type 2 diabetes.
Over 20 million Americans have diabetes, and about one third of those dont know they have it.
If your blood glucose levels are too high or not well controlled, you may have blurred vision, problems focusing or your eyeglass prescription may change. Controlling blood glucose levels usually fixes this. Diabetes can lead to other eye problems, including cataracts, double vision, dry eye and glaucoma.
An important cause of vision problems in diabetics is diabetic retinopathy. This is a change in the tiny blood vessels that feed the retina. In the early stages, the blood vessels weaken and leak fluid or tiny amounts of blood. This causes swelling of the retina. This is called nonproliferative retinopathy. At this stage you may have normal or blurry vision. Pregnant women with gestational diabetes are also risk for diabetic retinopathy.
With advanced retinopathy, the blood vessels become blocked or closed and parts of the retina die. New, abnormal vessels grow to replace the old ones. This is called proliferative retinopathy. The new vessels are fragile and often bleed into the eye, blocking vision. Then scar tissue forms and it shrinks and tears the retina and makes it bleed or even detach from the back of your eye. This can lead to visual loss or blindness.
The longer you have diabetes, the higher your risk of having diabetic retinopathy. Most people who have had diabetes for more than 20 years have some form of retinopathy.
It is extremely difficult to restore visual acuity once it has deteriorated from diabetes. However, if diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed early enough, an ophthalmologist may be able to prevent or delay severe vision loss. People with diabetes should have an annual eye exam by an ophthalmologist.
Research has shown that controlling blood glucose and blood pressure levels can delay the development of retinopathy or slow its progression.
60% of American adults have prehypertension or hypertension, 31% are not aware of their disease, and only 31% control their hypertension.
High blood pressure (hypertension) can harm your eyes in a number of very serious ways. It can lead to abnormalities in the vessel walls and bleeding in the retina known as hypertensive retinopathy. Symptoms include blurry vision and headaches. Hypertension can cause the retinal blood vessels to leak fluid, leading to swelling of the retina. When the retina becomes swollen, you lose your ability to see well. If blood pressure is exceptionally high, it is possible for even more serious problems to occur. The optic nerve can swell (papilledema), leading to permanent loss of vision. Hypertensive retinopathy may also put people at risk for macular degeneration.
Hypertension increases the risk of stroke, which may damage the brains visual cortex, impairing vision or even leading to blindness.
Hypertensive and diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness. Annual exams, working with your physician, exercise, good nutrition, medication and early detection can prevent this problem.