Diabetes has become a global health concern, and it is a chronic condition that occurs when your body is unable to make effective use of… insulin Which is produced or when the pancreas stops producing enough insulin, in both cases there is a risk of high blood sugar, and this may lead to health complications if it is not treated, according to the World Health Organization it can be a major cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack and stroke ischemic stroke and lower extremity amputation.
In this report, we learn about diabetic retinopathy as well as the many ways in which diabetes affects the eye, according to the “Times of India” website.
Ways high blood sugar affects your eyes
There are several ways that high blood sugar, or diabetes, can affect your eyes.
Excess glucose, or blood sugar, in the bloodstream can damage blood vessels and nerves that circulate throughout the body, including the eyes. This can lead to a range of eye diseases including:
Macular edema: Leaky blood vessels caused by diabetes can cause swelling of the macula, the center of the retina responsible for straight vision.
Cataracts: a cloudy buildup in the lens of the eye.
Glaucoma: Damage to the blood vessels in the retina, which leads to the formation of abnormal new vessels.
Diabetic retinopathy: When changes in the blood vessels in the retina cause either leaky blood vessels or abnormal growth of new blood vessels on the surface of the retina.
What is diabetic retinopathy?
Diabetes particularly damages the delicate inner layer of the eye called the retina, leading to the condition known as diabetic retinopathy.
1 in 3 diabetics suffers from some degree of retinopathy, which is currently the leading cause of blindness.
The Mayo Clinic also highlights the severity of the condition and highlights that it can go from being asymptomatic to causing mild vision problems however, if left untreated, it can lead to blindness.
Symptoms to watch out for
While the signs of diabetic retinopathy may not be noticeable in the initial stages, it can lead to several complications and these include:
Floaters or black spots in your vision
Blurred vision
Vision fluctuation
Holes in your vision
Loss of vision