Diabetes

1. Blurry vision

2. Trouble seeing colors

3. Spots in your vision (like floaters)

4. Dark or missing areas in vision

5. Vision loss

Diabetes is a disease that is the leading cause of blindness in working adults in its advanced stages, referred to as diabetic retinopathy. With diabetes, your body either does not respond or does not produce enough insulin. This disease affects how the body processes food into energy. Your body breaks down food into sugar (glucose) and releases it into the bloodstream. This increase in blood sugar signals the pancreas to release insulin, a hormone that delivers the sugar to the cells in the body.

Insulin is not produced properly when you have diabetes, resulting in elevated blood sugar. Having too much sugar in your bloodstream can lead to the damage of blood vessels and cause bleeding throughout your body, including the eyes, which is called diabetic retinopathy.

The best way to prevent diabetes-related eye disease is to manage your blood sugar to stay within your target range and to stay active with exercise. Keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol levels in the normal range also reduces your risk factor of eye disease and vision loss. Often, the first time a patient is diagnosed with diabetes is from a comprehensive eye examination.  Don’t forget to get your eyes checked today!