Can Diabetes Affect Your Eyes?

Diabetes can affect so much more than your blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes and do not manage it correctly, you can develop serious complications like high blood pressure, nerve damage, gum disease, and even vision loss. In fact, diabetes is responsible for most cases of blindness in adults under 75.

Diabetic Retinopathy
The retina is responsible for converting light into electrical signals. These signals are sent to the brain which turns them into what you actually see. To do this, the retina needs a consistent supply of blood. Chronic high blood sugar levels can damage the retina and, if left untreated, can lead to blindness.

Blurry Vision
One of the side effects of high blood pressure is swelling in the lenses of the eye. If you get your blood pressure levels under control, the swelling will begin to go down but it can take several weeks for your vision to return to normal.

Glaucoma
When fluid inside your eye can’t drain properly, pressure builds up damaging blood vessels and nerves. This condition is called glaucoma and causes changes in vision including vision loss.
Diabetics are more likely to develop a more serious form of glaucoma, neovascular glaucoma. This causes new blood vessels to grow on your iris that prevent the flow of fluid in the eye.

Cataracts
Often more common in the elderly, cataracts occur when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. This prevents your eyes from being able to focus and see clearly. People with diabetes are more likely to develop cataracts at a younger age and for its progression to be more accelerated.

If you are diabetic, it is important that you have regular reviews with your GP and optician. Many of the vision disturbances mentioned above are not noticeable until they become more advanced, meaning treatment and reversal become more difficult. It is also vital that you manage your blood sugar levels because the more often your levels are too high or low, the more likely you are to develop vision loss.

You can safely and effectively manage your diabetes with medications like Lantus Insulin, Byetta (Exanatide), and Metformin Trulicity by buying them online in the UK from Pharmacy Planet. https://www.pharmacyplanet.com/