It might be astonishing for you to find that diabetes can also affect your eyesight. Diabetes can result in blurred vision, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy, which is actually leakage of fluid and blood from the blood vessels. These effects can be treated easily in the early stage.
Blurring of vision is one of the initial symptoms of diabetes. In case of high blood glucose levels, eye lens swells and blurring of vision is cause. It usually gets better with time but if not treated in early stages, permanent blurring of vision may pursue. So, it is very important to keep your blood glucose levels in check if you are a diabetic patient because if hyperglycemia persists for a long time, you eyes might be damaged permanently.
Old people usually complain of cataracts but this condition is also present in diabetic patients having high blood glucose levels persisting for long times. This condition is commonly known as clouding of eyes because of blockage of light waves by the lens. Once lens is damaged above a certain limit, it has to be replaced by a synthetic lens to restore normal eyesight.
Diabetic retinopathy is caused by persistent hyperglycemia because high levels of glucose are damaging for blood vessels especially vessels present in the eyes because they are fine and have thin walls. In this abnormality, blood and fluid leaks from the vessels and accumulate in surrounding areas. This effect is not of that much value in the initial stages because central portion of retina which is mostly used for clear vision is not affected but in later stages there is almost total loss of vision because this area is affected as well.
Diabetic retinopathy is very dangerous in later stages because new blood vessels grow to take place of the damaged vessels but they usually over grow out of the retina, hence blocking the vision. Moreover, in later stages, fluid and blood accumulation becomes significant, retina detaches and fluid accumulates in the space thus created. If detached retina is replaced early, vision is restored but if the detachment persists for a long time, the person if permanently blinded.
The above mentioned manifestations show the importance of keeping your blood glucose levels in check. Your blood glucose levels should never exceed 140 mg/dl in any part of the day of you are a diabetic patient. Hypoglycemic drugs can be used for this purpose. Insulin can be used in case of diabetes mellitus type 1.
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