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Adult and Senior Eye Care
Diabetes
There are many medical disorders that are often associated
with problems in the eye. These can occur at any age but
often worsen as you get older. Diabetes is the most important
of these disorders.
Diabetes affects the eye in many ways. To start, as your
blood sugar fluctuates your refraction fluctuates, causing your
vision to be blurry. If your blood sugar remains high and out
of control, early cataracts
can form.
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The most serious problem caused by uncontrolled blood sugar
occurs in the retina. The retina functions like film
in a camera, gathering the images. Diabetes that is out of control
causes blood vessels within the retina to be leaky. This allows the
retina to swell with fluid and blood. Just think of the film sitting
in a glass of water all day long, then trying to take a picture.
The result would be a blurry image.
Uncontrolled blood sugar can eventually result in retinal detachment.
This occurs when the retina grows abnormal
blood vessels in an attempt to bring "food" to those cells that are
deprived by the leaky vessels. These abnormal blood vessels are fragile.
They break, bleed, and pull on the retina, causing a detachment. This is
the potential blinding component of diabetes in the eye. A laser can be used
to seal the leaky blood vessels and stop the abnormal vessels from growing.
However, the best solution to prevent this from happening is to make sure your blood
sugar is under control.
If you are a diabetic, like Dr. Smith, you should check your blood sugar and maintain it
within safe levels at all times of the day. All diabetics
should have their eyes
dilated and examined by an eye professional at least once a year.
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