Posts Tagged ‘November’

5 Things You Should Know About Diabetic Eye Disease

Posted on: November 17th, 2015 by lowvision

Did you know that November is Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month? Did you know that diabetes can cause eye disease? If left untreated, it can cause vision loss or even blindness. To help you keep your vision healthy, here are five things the National Eye Institute (NEI) would like you to know about diabetic eye disease:

1. People with diabetes may face several eye problems as a complication of this disease. They include cataract, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy, which is the leading cause of blindness in American adults age 20–74.

2. In its early stages, diabetic retinopathy has no symptoms. A person may not notice vision changes until the disease advances. Blurred vision may occur when the macula swells from the leaking fluid (called macular edema). If new vessels have grown on the surface of the retina, they can bleed into the eye, blocking vision.

3. Anyone with diabetes is at risk of getting diabetic retinopathy. The longer someone has diabetes, the more likely he or she will get this eye disease. In fact, between 40 and 45 percent of those with diagnosed diabetes have some degree of diabetic retinopathy.

4. That is: Take your medications as prescribed by your doctor; Reach and maintain a healthy weight; Add more physical activity to your daily routine; Control your ABC’s—A1C, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels; and Kick the smoking habit.

5. If you have diabetes, be sure to have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Diabetic eye disease can be detected early and treated before noticeable vision loss occurs.

To learn more, visit http://www.nei.nih.gov/diabetes.

Set Your Sight on Healthy Vision if You Have Diabetes: National Eye Health Education Program Special Collaboration

Posted on: November 15th, 2013 by lowvision

If you have diabetes, your doctors most likely have told you to keep your blood sugar under control through diet, exercise, and proper medication. But did you know that you also need a dilated eye exam at least once a year? A dilated eye exam is when an eye care professional dilates, or widens, the pupil to check the retina in the back of the eye for signs of damage. All people with diabetes, type 1 and 2, are at risk for vision loss, but certain groups are at higher risk: African Americans, American Indians/Alaska Natives, and Hispanics/Latinos.

The longer a person has diabetes, the greater the risk of diabetic eye disease, which includes the following:
• Cataract (Clouding of the lens of the eye)
• Diabetic Retinopathy (Damage to the retina)
• Glaucoma (Damage to the optic nerve)

In November, when National Diabetes Month is observed in the United States, the National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) of the National Eye Institute (NEI) recommends that all people who have diabetes reduce the risk of vision loss from the disease by having a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year.

“Half of all people with diabetes don’t get annual dilated eye exams. People need to know that about 95 percent of severe vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented through early detection, timely treatment, and appropriate follow-up,” said Dr. Suber Huang, chair of the Diabetic Eye Disease Subcommittee for NEHEP.

“Diabetic eye disease often has no early warning signs but can be detected early and treated before vision loss occurs,” said Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., director of NEI. “Don’t wait until you notice an eye problem to have a dilated eye exam, because vision that is lost often cannot be restored.”

In fact, diabetic retinopathy, the most common form of diabetic eye disease, is the leading cause of blindness in American adults ages 20–74. According to NEI, 7.7 million people ages 40 and older have diabetic retinopathy, and this number will likely increase to approximately 11 million people by 2030.

If you have diabetes, get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. NEHEP also recommends you keep your health on track by—

• Taking your medications.
• Reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.
• Adding physical activity to your day.
• Controlling your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
• Kicking the smoking habit.

These steps will help you keep your diabetes under control and help protect against diabetic eye disease.

For more information on diabetic eye disease, financial assistance for eye care, and how you can maintain healthy vision, visit www.nei.nih.gov/diabetes or call NEI at 301–496–5248.

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The National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), leads the federal government’s research on the visual system and eye diseases. NEI supports basic and clinical science programs that result in the development of sight-saving treatments. For more information, visit www.nei.nih.gov.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the Nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.