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Type 2 Diabetes - Eye Complications and Diabetes

April 05, 2012


Whilst it is a well-known fact having Type 2 diabetes affects vision, most eye complications are treatable. Among older people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, it has been found between 10 and 20 percent have some problem with their eyes which naturally weaken with age. But one of the worst conditions diabetics can develop not only affects vision, but it can completely take it away.
How common is blindness from diabetes? It was once a really common complication of diabetes, but with regular visits to eye specialists and good medical treatment, blindness is now a lot less common. Blindness now affects less than 2 percent of people diagnosed with diabetes.
But this is rather alarming: It has been found uncontrolled blood sugar levels are responsible for more cases of blindness than any other reason, and this applies to people aged from 20 and up to 74. But this statistic is completely avoidable.
Blindness, or even impaired vision, does not automatically have to be present just because you have been given a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. Just like with all other complications of diabetes, they all depend on how well the disease is being managed. The better control a diabetic has over their blood sugar levels, the less likely they are to experience any complications, and this includes issues with vision.
So how does diabetes cause blindness? It is all made possible by a condition called retinopathy. When diabetes is allowed to run out of control, the increased blood sugar attacks many areas of the body... including the eyes. Excess sugar goes to work damaging tiny blood vessels. This is especially true where the retina is concerned.
The retina is a collection of light-sensitive cells at the back of each eye. In people with diabetes, the retina becomes damaged from:
  • tiny hemorrhages,
  • scarring,
  • damaged blood vessels, and
  • the attachment of sugar molecules present in the bloodstream to proteins in the retina.
The retinas are responsible for taking the world around us and transmitting the vision to your brain in the form of light images. As you can imagine, the retina is very delicate and must be operating at its full potential in order for you to clearly see.
But high sugar levels cause the blood vessels to become weak, the walls become thin and brittle and eventually they burst from the added pressure. The appearance of blood interferes with your eye's ability to see clearly.
If the diabetic receives treatment quickly there is a possibility of saving their vision. But if the condition is not treated, the blood will permanently restrict the field of vision within the retina and the person will suffer permanent loss of their vision.
The best way to reverse the effects of retinopathy is to bring your blood sugar down to a normal range. This also has to be consistently maintained since an increase of blood sugar levels will only cause the condition to form once again. As long as treatment is performed in time, the remaining vision can be salvaged.
If the individual does not continue to maintain healthy blood sugar levels, the disease will once again damage their vision until their retinas are no longer able to discern the light that is entering the eye. At this point, the person will be completely, and permanently, blind.
The better control you have over your blood sugar, the less likely you are to develop retinopathy.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6954906


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