One of the potential complications of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, which damages the blood vessels in the retina in the eye.
Diabetic retinopathy affects those with both type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Diabetic eye diseases are:
- Diabetic retinopathy: Damage to the blood vessels in the retina.
- Cataract: Clouding of the lens of the eye.
- Glaucoma: Increase in fluid pressure inside the eye that leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision.
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and is the leading cause of blindness in adults between 20 and 74 years old. It is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. In some people with diabetic retinopathy, retinal blood vessels may swell and leak fluid. In other people, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina. These changes may result in vision loss or blindness.
The onset of diabetic retinopathy is influenced by how long one has had diabetes, if the diabetes is poorly controlled, high blood pressure, lipid abnormalities, kidney disease or congestive heart failure. There are often no symptoms in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. Even in more advanced cases, the disease may progress a long way without symptoms.
Those with diabetes are 25 times more likely than the general population to go blind. While the cause of retinopathy is not known, it does not occur in isolation. Diabetic retinopathy is impacted by the overall health of the individual; hence diabetes information, diabetes management and regular eye examinations for people with diabetes is key to prevention. Those with type 1 diabetes should have a yearly eye exam beginning five years after diabetes diagnosis. Those with type 2 diabetes should receive an eye exam at the time of diagnosis and then yearly.
Daily self-management, including attention to an appropriate diet, exercise, adherence to medications and blood glucose monitoring, is the key to good health. Complications can be avoided by asking your doctor how often you need your hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level checked. The HbA1c is a measure of average blood glucose during the previous 2 to 3 months, LDL cholesterol (lower than 100) and blood pressure (less than 130/80) levels.
References:
1. The Medical Minute: Diabetic eye. Penn State Hershey. November 2008.
2. National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health.
