Diabetes carries increased risks for eye health—but staying informed is your best defense.
As many people who live with it already know, diabetes is a condition that affects more than just the pancreas. High or fluctuating blood sugar levels associated with diabetes also cause changes in blood circulation, and without proper management can damage both large and small blood vessels throughout the body. And there aren’t too many places in your body that have more blood vessels than your eyes.
When those blood vessels are damaged, a range of eye conditions can result, causing impairment or loss of vision. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of vision loss in people 18-64 years old. But while diabetes does carry an increased risk to eye health, its effects can be managed and minimized with the help of qualified professionals.
The best thing you can do to care for your eyes if you are diabetic, at risk for diabetes, or simply want to be prepared is to seek out good information. Knowing your risks and regularly checking in with a trusted care provider will help you catch problems early, choose the best treatment, and protect your vision for the long term.
Here’s what you need to know.
Several eye conditions are more common in people with diabetes.
There are a few eye health issues reliably associated with the kind of blood vessel damage that diabetes can cause. They are:
Diabetic retinopathy: The retina is the light-sensitive surface at the back of the eye, and it contains an especially high number of small blood vessels. These vessels can bulge or leak, causing nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy. If they’re damaged enough, however, new blood vessels begin to form around them. This is called proliferative retinopathy, and can have much more serious consequences for your vision.
Diabetic macular edema: The macula is the central part of the retina, and the part which detects fine details and the straight-ahead portion of your field of view. It’s the same area affected by age-related macular degeneration. In macular edema, the macula swells due to abnormal blood flow, increased fluids, or leaky blood vessels.
Glaucoma: When pressure inside the eye increases, it can pinch the optic nerve (the connection between the retina and the brain) and cause damage. Diabetes can affect the pressure inside your eye in a variety of ways. Swelling and abnormal blood vessel growth can cause fluid to drain more slowly from your eye, resulting in the most common type of glaucoma, called open angle glaucoma. Damaged blood vessels can also cause severe swelling, called neovascular glaucoma.
Cataracts: Cataracts occur when the lenses (the clear tissue at the front of the eye, which lets light through) become clouded. Diabetes is associated with both a higher occurrence of cataracts and cataracts which worsen faster. Researchers believe this is due to high blood sugar levels creating cloudy deposits in the lens.
Each of these eye conditions can be managed, slowed, and in some cases reversed with proper treatment—but success typically depends on identifying the problem as early as possible.
Be on the lookout for diabetes-related vision symptoms.
Early identification of any diabetes-related eye conditions helps you and your care provider achieve the best possible results from your treatment. With that in mind, it’s crucial to be aware of the early symptoms of diabetic eye disease, and to check in with your provider if you notice vision changes.
Early signs of diabetic eye disease include:
- Blurred, wavy, or distorted vision
- Dark areas or loss of vision
- Shapes or spots in your vision (“floaters”)
- Flashes of light
- Pain or redness in your eyes
- Difficulty seeing colors
- Frequent changes in your vision
Take steps to protect your eye health.
Eye health is closely linked to your overall wellness: vision plays a huge role in quality of life, while systemic health problems like diabetes can have unique and damaging impacts on your eyes. While diabetes will always present a challenge for eye health, it’s possible to delay the onset of issues, slow their progress, or in some cases avoid them entirely by taking good care of your body.
The most important step to prevent diabetic eye disease is to ensure that your diabetes is well managed. Controlling your blood sugar can help to prevent much of the blood vessel damage that contributes to diabetic eye disease. Other important things you can do include:
Controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol: Keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol down reduces the chances of blood vessel damage, helps lower the pressure inside your eyes, and improves circulation.
Cutting out smoking: Smoking risks further blood vessel damage.
Choosing an eye-healthy diet: Plenty of foods are good for your overall health while also containing vitamins and minerals that are important for healthy vision.
Knowing your risks: Genetics and environment both influence your risk for certain eye conditions. Being aware of your family medical history and understanding the unique risks that your communities face will help you know what to look out for.
Getting regular eye exams: Regular eye checkups allow you and your care provider to set a baseline for your vision so that you can quickly identify changes down the line. Eye exams can detect new or worsening symptoms, and even reveal the first signs of systemic, non-eye-related health issues.
Invest in the future of your eye health with Heritage.
If there’s one thing we want our members to know, it’s that the damage from diabetic eye disease is often preventable. But preventing vision impairment or loss from diabetes depends on access to high-quality vision care—something which too many people struggle to find.
At Heritage, it’s our mission to spread access to top-notch eye health care as widely as we can. We encourage our members to take advantage of their annual exams and other benefits, and we’ve seen firsthand the good that comes from regular care. To gain access to Heritage’s handpicked network of providers for yourself and your loved ones, sign up for a Heritage individual or family plan today.