Diabetes can damage your vision irreparably

Nearly half of India’s population is suffering from Diabetes. We know it causes damage to all our organs collectively but what it does to our eye sight  is just irrepairable and can’t be set right by anything. According to a recent study in an approximately, 70 percent of adults above 40 years of age, blindness is due to Diabetic Retinopathy.

Diabetic Retinopathy is a condition in which the blood vessels of the retina get damaged or blocked. When blood vessels get blocked, the blood supply to retina gets stopped, which ultimately leads to vision loss.

Often in the initial years after being diagnosed with Diabetes, the symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy are not clearly visible, only mild vision problems are witnessed. And this is the gravest risk. Even physician is unable to diagnose it easily. But it’s a silent killer within few days of this being diagnosed; a patient would not have a chance to stop the damage.

Diabetic Retinopathy is more common in type II(life style diabetes) as compared to Type I cases(from early childhood).  In some rare cases the symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy are seen in the initial stages but generally only  basic symptoms are visible such as dark spots floating in your vision, blurred and fluctuating vision, vision loss, difficulty with color perception; and dark or empty areas in vision.

The best antidote is  patients diagnosed with diabetes should get a comprehensive dilated eye exam once every year as the chances of having Diabetic Retinopathy increases with the time.  If diagnosed in time, your doctor can help you in preventing its progression. Remember the key is early detection and timely treatment as only this can prevent vision loss.

Diabetic Retinopathy is most common in pregnant women with diabetes. Sometimes, during pregnancy, doctors also recommend some additional tests as pregnancy may worsen diabetic retinopathy.

Managing your blood sugar level carefully is the first step to prevent diabetic retionpathy. Indulge in a healthy diet and religiously spend at least 1 and a half hour daily on physical exercises like walk, aerobics or yoga. Take you medicines on time.If you smoke ,quit it,  as it is an additional hazard. Twice a year, go for a hemoglobin A1C test and get it checked by your doctor. Ideally, your A1C should be under 7 percent. Contact an eye doctor if sudden changes in vision are observed by you, or you are facing blurred or spotty vision. The damage caused can’t be retrieved back but progress can be checked by surgeries like Focal Laser treatment, Scatter Laser treatment, Vitrectomy.

If you have already lost some of your vision due to Diabetic Retinopathy, then ask your doctor for low vision services and devices. This can help you greatly in maintaining your remaining vision.

Lastly, remember if you are diagnosed with Diabetes, then don't panic. Just start living a better lifestyle.

Macular Degeneration results in blindness

Macular degeneration, (AMD or ARMD), is a frailty that affects people of 60 years and above, resulting in loss of vision in the center of their visual field because of damage caused to the retina.

It occurs in both dry and wet forms. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment, affecting 30-50 million people worldwide. It makes it difficult or at times impossible to read or identify faces, although minor vision remains to allow other activities of daily life.

The area of the macula covers only about 2.1% of the retina, and the remaining 97.9% remains unaffected by this disease. Ironically, even though the macula provides a small fraction of the visual field, almost half of the visual cortex is devoted to process macular information.

Like many other age-related disorders, macular degeneration was once rare, but has become increasingly common in developed nations in the last 30 years due to the rapid growth in the number of people over 75 of age and posts a significant health care challenge as it is the most common cause of vision loss in adults, with the immensity of new cases occurring after the age of 80.

Currently, it appears that the best way to safeguard your eyes from escalating early macular degeneration is to eat a healthy diet, exercise and wear sunglasses that protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays and high-energy visible (HEV) radiation.