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This site is dedicated to my daughter Whitney Lemont, her husband David,
Renee my grandaughter and David's mom Sharon. Both David and his mom suffer
from diabetes and could use your prayers. He as he struggles to live a life
in light of his diabetes and Sharon as she just struggles. Whitney as she cares
for David, Renee and Sharon.
Back in the 1950's and 60's most people didn't rate diabetes as
a major problem. Back then, all the focus was on dealing with
more prominent diseases such as polio and tuberculosis. If
diabetes was thought about, it was more in the context of
cutting out sugar in your coffee, rather than as a serious
threat to your eyesight or your life.
That's all changing. It's not too much to say that diabetes is
now reaching epidemic levels in most of the western world.
According to the American Diabetes Association there are over 20
million diabetics in the United States alone, with a staggering
one third undiagnosed. It's also going to get a lot worse with
another 41 million Americans already showing pre-diabetic signs.
Diabetes is a disease that mostly affects blood vessels and in
it's extreme forms can lead to serious heart disease, stroke and
kidney damage. Clearly these life threatening diabetic vascular
diseases deserve priority attention, but high on the critical
list for diabetics is the risk of serious eye disease and loss
of vision.
Vision is one of our most critical senses and in this "need for
speed" information era, over 70% of our sensory information
comes through our eyes. According to the American Academy of
Ophthalmology, diabetics are 25 times more likely to lose vision
than those who are not diabetic. With diabetes already being the
number one cause of blindness in the United States, it's no
wonder eye care professionals are predicting a devastating
increase in vision loss as the diabetic epidemic grows
alarmingly.
Newly diagnosed diabetics often have nothing more than minor
vision fluctuations which settle when blood sugar levels improve
with treatment. Early on it's easy to believe everything is
fine. After some years though, continuing high blood sugar can
gradually damage the blood vessels at the back of the eye in the
retina. This causes a problem called diabetic retinopathy and
the longer you have diabetes the more likely you are to have
retinopathy. The risk increases further when there is poor
control of blood sugar levels. More than 70% of diabetics
develop some changes in their eyes within 15 years of diagnosis.
Retinopathy is graded as Non-proliferative or Proliferative.
Non-proliferative retinopathy is the common milder form, where
small retinal blood vessels break and leak. There may be some
mild retinal swelling but it rarely requires treatment unless it
causes hazy central vision or straight lines appear bent.
Proliferative retinopathy is the less common, but more serious
form where new blood vessels grow abnormally within the retina.
If these vessel scar or bleed they can lead to potentially
serious vision loss including blindness. Early laser treatment
can seal leaking vessels and slow the progress of diabetic
retinopathy, but can't reverse existing vision loss.
For now, there is no "magic pill" to eliminate the risk of
diabetic eye damage, but you can do two important things to help
prevent the more serious complications. Poor blood sugar control
is one of the main causes of serious diabetic retinopathy. The
critical first step is making sure you stabilize and control
your blood sugar with a healthy diet and regular exercise. The
second step is to make sure you have a yearly diabetic eye
examination. An experienced eye care professional can pick up
subtle diabetic eye changes long before you notice any vision
change, and more importantly, early enough to do some good.
If you, or your family are affected by this rising tidal wave of
diabetes: take action now to reduce your risk of vision loss.
Don't be a victim!
About the author:
Find out more about Mental Health at healthandfinesse.com
Written by: Nicky Pilkington
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