In Focus:
- People with diabetes are more at risk of developing glaucoma and cataracts.
- Recognising symptoms of eye diseases due to diabetes is crucial to early intervention.
- Treatment options are available, but prevention is key.
All forms of diabetes, from type 1 and type 2 to gestational diabetes, can be managed by lifestyle changes and medication. Management, however, takes awareness.
With November being Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month, we focus on how this chronic disease can affect the eyes to help you determine whether an appointment with an eye doctor in Dubai may be in order. Early detection and treatment of diabetes related eye disease can prevent serious complications.
How Does Diabetes Affect Your Eyes?
Diabetes occurs when your blood glucose (or blood sugar) level is too elevated. It’s too high because your body’s not able to process food as energy. When your body has too much glucose, it can damage nerves and blood vessels, including the ones running at the back of your eyes.
High glucose can change the fluid levels or cause swelling in tissues that help your eyes focus. This can lead to a blurry vision in the short term.
When blood glucose remains high over a long period, damaged blood vessels leak fluid and create swelling. New but weak blood vessels may also form, bleeding into the middle part of the eye and scarring or causing severe pressure inside the eye.
The damage to the eye may begin even before diabetes symptoms become clear. This is why getting eye care services is significant to monitoring overall health.
What Are the Symptoms of Diabetes-Related Eye Disease?
The most serious eye diseases due to diabetes start with blood vessel problems. But the symptoms will depend on the type of eye condition.
What are those eye conditions?
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetes-related retinopathy affects the retina, which is the inner lining at the back of the eye.
At its early stage, the condition is referred to as nonproliferative diabetes-related retinopathy, when blood vessels weaken and leak into the retina. Undetected over time, it progresses into proliferative diabetes-related retinopathy, when new and weak blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina, creating vision problems.
Some symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include:
- Small dark spots or streaks in the vision
- Poor night vision
- Blurred or distorted vision
- Colour blindness or seeing colours as faded
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that damage the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. Neovascular glaucoma is the form of glaucoma that’s diabetes-related. When abnormal blood vessels grow due to high glucose levels, pressure increases in the eye and causes glaucoma.
Symptoms of neovascular glaucoma are pain or redness in the eye and vision loss.
Cataracts
People who have diabetes tend to develop cataracts at a younger age than people who do not have diabetes. When high levels of blood glucose are not addressed, the development of cloudy lenses speeds up. This blocks the light, making everything appear hazy.
Symptoms of cataracts include:
- Extra sensitivity to light and glare
- Double vision in one eye
- Blurred or hazy vision
- Poor night vision
- Seeing colours as faded
Macular Edema
When blood vessels leak into the macula, the centre of the retina that enables sharp and straight vision swells. When the macula swells, the vision becomes blurry. In some cases, macular edema can lead to partial vision loss or blindness.
You may not notice the changes in your vision if only one eye is affected with this diabetes related eye disease.
Symptoms of macular edema include:
- Seeing colours as faded or dull
- Objects appear wavy from a straight angle
- Object sizes appear different when viewed from one eye and then the other
What Are the Treatment Options for Diabetic Eye Disease?
Diabetic eye disease can be treated, and serious complications can be prevented through early detection. Similar to the symptoms, treatment options will depend on the eye condition.
Cataract surgery in Dubai can replace the cloudy lens with an artificial one, preventing further deterioration of the affected eye. The surgery must be combined with adequate diabetes management to prevent other diabetic eye diseases from developing.
An eye doctor could inject anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) medicine in the eye to block abnormal blood vessel growth (VEGF plays a critical role in the development of certain diabetic eye diseases). The anti-VEGF treatment may require several sessions, and may be used to treat macular edema.
A glaucoma specialist in Dubai can design a treatment plan that fits your condition, combining cutting-edge solutions with expert care.
Although advances in medicine and technology are creating innovative treatments, prevention is still better. In this case, managing diabetes and getting your blood glucose under control can prevent diabetic eye disease.
More importantly, arranging regular eye exams can protect the health of your eyes and allow you to get ahead of any condition.
See Your Eye Doctor Today
Gulf Family Clinic has an international team of eye specialists in Dubai. We use state-of-the-art equipment and the latest techniques for ophthalmic surgery, treatments and procedures.
We’ll be happy to assist you with your eye health concerns.
Call Gulf Family Clinic today!
