How Diabetes Affects Your Vision

The effects of diabetes stretch beyond pancreatic and cardiovascular health. It can damage blood vessels all over the body, and people with diabetes face a higher risk of other complications. 

One of the main areas of impact is vision. There are many different ways diabetes and its related conditions — such as high blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels — can be harmful to eye health. 

If you are diabetic, prediabeticor know someone who is, use this article to understand better the eye health problems associated with the condition:

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)

As one of the most common eye diseases in general, DR is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. It is when high blood sugar damages retinal blood vessels, leading them to swell and leak.

DR has two stages:

·         Early (nonproliferative) – Blood vessels in the retina weaken and bulge; they form tiny pouches that may leak. The leakage can cause the macula — part of the retina — to swell and blur vision. This swelling is known as macular edema.

·         Advanced (proliferative) – New, fragile blood vessels grow on the retina and may bleed. Minor bleeding may cause dark spots to float in one’s vision; excessive bleeding could completely block it.

Symptoms:

·         Loss of central vision 

·         Blurry vision

·         Floating spots in vision

·         New color blindness or fading colors

·         Poor vision at night

·         Small dark spots or streaks in vision

·         Drusen— small yellow deposits seen on dilated eye exams that show early signs of dry macular degeneration

Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)

DME develops in about half of DR patients. It is when tiny bulges form in the blood vessels and damage them. This causes fluid to leak into the macula and build up, which can lead to swelling.

The macula is the part of the retina responsible for one’s central vision, and swelling can affect a patient’s ability to drive, read, work on the computer and more. It can cause blindness in advanced stages, but early discovery and prompt treatment can make a big difference.

Symptoms:

·         Blurry or double vision

·         Floaters

·         Difficulty seeing colors

·         Dark spots (scotomas)

·         Seeing straight lines as bent or curved

·         Trouble with glaring or bright lights

·         Seeing objects as different sizes in each eye

Cataracts

A cataract is the clouding of an eye's lens. In diabetic patients specifically, high blood sugar causes deposits to build up in the lenses, leading to cloudiness and blurred vision.

Cataracts are typically a result of aging. However, diabetic patients commonly experience formation when they are younger and usually develop a posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC) — a type that generally progresses fasterthan most.

Symptoms:

·         Blurriness or waviness in central vision

·         Faded colors

·         Sensitivity to light; glare or halo around lights at night

·         Trouble seeing in the dark

·         Double vision

·         Need for bright light to read

·         Frequent changes in glasses or contact lens prescriptions

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is when fluid pressure accumulates in both eyes, damaging the optic nerves. People with diabetes are far more likely to develop it than nondiabetics, with a majority of the cases being open-angle glaucoma.

Also, a specific type of glaucoma stems from reduced blood flow to the retina, making it common in diabetic patients because of high blood sugar levels. Neovascular glaucoma (NVG) is when the damage to retinal blood vessels leads to new and abnormal vessels growing in the iris and blocking the flow of fluid out of the eye, which raises pressure and damages the optic nerve.

Symptoms:

·         Loss of central and peripheral vision

·         Drusen

·         Blurred vision

·         Redness, pain or pressure in the eyes 

·         Headaches

·         Rainbow-colored halos around lights

·         Nausea and vomiting

Eye Lens Swelling

Diabetes can also cause swelling in the eye lens, resulting in blurry vision. This happens when blood sugar levels change quickly from low to normal, affecting the lens’ shape. Vision returns to normal once the patient’s blood sugar stabilizes, although it may take a few months.

If a patient experiences eye lens swelling, they should contact their doctor and get examined to ensure there isn’t a more severe condition present. 

Protecting Eye Health as a Patient with Diabetes 

For vision and overall health, diabetic patients should:

·         Manage their condition according to the advice of their medical provider.

·         Get regular eye exams and checkups.

·         Contact an eye care professional if they experience any symptoms mentioned in this article.

·         Confirm their blood sugar levels are stable if they are getting fitted for eyeglasses; this is to ensure they get the most accurate prescription possible.