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Type 2 Diabetes - High Eye Pressure in Diabetes

November 13, 2013

Vision is important to protect whether you have diabetes or not. In Type 1 diabetes, the risk of eye complications is basically governed by the degree of blood sugar control and the length of time the person has had diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes the main complication is that some newly diagnosed diabetics have actually had the condition for up to 10 years without it being discovered.

Diabetics generally have higher rates of:

  • retinopathy,
  • cataracts, and
  • glaucoma

than non-diabetics.

Glaucoma is a disease in which the pressure inside the eyes builds up until the optic nerve, which carries messages from the eye to the brain, is damaged. Blindness can result if the pressure is not relieved quickly. According to the World Health Organization, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world.

Researchers at Kansai Medical University and Takii Hospital in Osaka, Japan, compared the eye pressure measurement in diabetic and non-diabetics who did not have glaucoma, to determine whether the people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes were already at high risk.

This study was published in July 2012 in the journal Clinical Ophthalmology, and included 703 people without glaucoma being seen at an eye clinic.

  • eye pressure was found to be higher in the diabetics than in the non-diabetics.
  • eye pressure was shown to be higher among older patients.

Among the diabetics suffering diabetic retinopathy, the pressure was highest in those with the poorest blood sugar control.

Eye examinations. A complete eye examination once every two years for people over the age of 40 is recommended to find glaucoma if it exists.

  • individuals of African descent. and
  • those with a family history of glaucoma

are at high risk.

  • eye drops are given to dilate the pupils and allow the eye doctor to see the optic nerve.
  • tonometry is a test used to measure the pressure inside the eyes.

A metallic device can be placed lightly upon the eye or air can be blown onto the eye. A special lens can be used to see inside the eye or laser scanning images can show the optic nerve. Tests of vision and visual fields are also used.

When glaucoma is diagnosed, a small hole can be made surgically to relieve eye pressure. Sometimes preventive surgery is performed before full-blown glaucoma actually develops. Laser therapy and medications to lower eye pressure can also be used.

Preventing or controlling Type 2 diabetes can help to prevent blindness not only from glaucoma, but cataracts and diabetic retinopathy as well.

Talk to your doctor or dietitian about:

  • the best diabetic diet for you to follow,
  • a program of regular exercise, and
  • staying on top of your blood sugar levels.

Remember to take any prescription medications that have been ordered, even when you are feeling well.

The risk of eye damage has really lowered considerably with modern diabetes and eye care.

Type 2 diabetes is no longer a condition you must just live with. It need not slowly and inevitably get worse. Now is the time to take control of the disease... take back your life and your health and avoid high blood sugar and blood pressure to prevent any problems with your vision.

For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Beverleigh_H_Piepers

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7198810
 


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