Numerous long-term diabetic patients express side effects having to do with their eyes. This is known as retinopathy. High blood glucose levels cause damage over time to the material that forms your eye. This can prompt retinopathy which is an ailment of the retina that causes visual deficiency in a variety of manners. These blood vessels are damaged by the excess glucose and break, swell, or bleed. Once that has happened it is much easier for them to be damaged in the future. Over time, enough damage is caused that severe consequences such as blindness may occur.

Diabetic retinopathy is a standout amongst the consequences of diabetes because it can cause blindness. In the US, diabetic retinopathy is one of the more common diseases that will steal your vision. Always be aware of it and control your blood glucose accordingly.

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Macular Adema is when the macula swells inside the eye. This is the most common cause of vision loss in diabetic patients. Macular ischemia happens when blood vessels in the eye close off and blood cannot reach the macula. Exudates may also form, these are tiny particles that may also impede your vision.

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is a more advanced stage of eye disease in diabetics. This happens when old vessels burst and new, less sturdy vessels are formed. These vessels can bleed and cause floaters. Floater is a generalized term referring to small blots in your vision that may only be seen clearly when a bright area is viewed. Enough of these floaters can block your vision severely. The injuries can also cause scar tissue which may lead to a detached retina. PDR is a very serious disease, and indeed it can cause loss of both central and side(peripheral) vision.

So, now that we know how diabetes can affect our vision, what are some ways we can combat this? Just imagine that when your blood glucose is above normal, that blood glucose going through the tiny and delicate pathways of your eye is causing microscopic damage. When your blood glucose is normal, that damage is not occurring or is significantly closed. The more time you send with your blood glucose at normal levels, the less the disease may progress. This is very similar to how high blood pressure may affect the small pathways in the body including the eye.

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So start by trying to keep your blood glucose and blood pressure in normal ranges as much as possible. In order to do this you need to monitor these things, so get a home testing kit for glucose testing(and also blood pressure testing while you are at it). Speak with your doctor and ask him about keeping track of your blood sugar and blood pressure at home. Having these tools will allow you to know in a snap what your blood glucose and blood pressure is. Then you can react to it. There are many ways that you can control your blood glucose and also some ways to attempt to control your blood pressure. We will cover those details in a subsequent article.

*The author of this blog is not a medical professional and this article does not contain professional medical advice. This blog is not intended to substitute for medical advice, treatment, or diagnosis. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of the contents of this article. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 immediately