What is Diabetes?

Too much glucose in the blood for a long time can cause diabetes problems. This high blood glucose, also called blood sugar, can damage many parts of the body, such as the heart, blood vessels, eyes, and kidneys. Heart and blood vessel disease can lead to heart attacks and strokes. You can do a lot to prevent or slow down diabetes problems.

What can I do to prevent diabetes eye problems?

You can do a lot to prevent diabetes eye problems.

• Keep your blood glucose and blood pressure as close to normal as you can.

• Have an eye care professional examine your eyes once a year. Have this exam even if your vision is OK. The eye care professional will use drops to make the black part of your eyes—pupils—bigger. This process is called dilating your pupil, which allows the eye care professional to see the back of your eye. Finding eye problems early and getting treatment right away will help prevent more serious problems later on.

• Ask your eye care professional to check for signs of cataracts and glaucoma.

• If you are planning to get pregnant soon, ask your doctor if you should have an eye exam.

• If you are pregnant and have diabetes, see an eye care professional during your first 3 months of pregnancy.

• Don’t smoke.

How can diabetes hurt my eyes?

High blood glucose and high blood pressure from diabetes can hurt four parts of your eye:

• Retina. The retina is the lining at the back of the eye. The retina’s job is to sense light coming into the eye.

• Vitreous. The vitreous is a jelly-like fluid that fills the back of the eye.

• Lens. The lens is at the front of the eye. The lens focuses light on the retina.

• Optic nerve. The optic nerve is the eye’s main nerve to the brain.

How can diabetes hurt the retinas of my eyes?

Retina damage happens slowly. Your retinas have tiny blood vessels that are easy to damage. Having high blood glucose and high blood pressure for a long time can damage these tiny blood vessels.

First, these tiny blood vessels swell and weaken. Some blood vessels then become clogged and do not let enough blood through. At first, you might not have any loss of sight from these changes. Have a dilated eye exam once a year even if your sight seems fine.

One of your eyes may be damaged more than the other. Or both eyes may have the same amount of damage. Diabetic retinopathy is the medical term for the most common diabetes eye problem.

What other eye problems can happen to people with diabetes?

You can get two other eye problems—cataracts and glaucoma. People without diabetes can get these eye problems, too. But people with diabetes get these problems more often and at a younger age.

• A cataract is a cloud over the lens of your eye, which is usually clear. The lens focuses light onto the retina. A cataract makes everything you look at seem cloudy. You need surgery to remove the cataract. During surgery your lens is taken out and a plastic lens, like a contact lens, is put in. The plastic lens stays in your eye all the time. Cataract surgery helps you see clearly again.

• Glaucoma starts from pressure building up in the eye. Over time, this pressure damages your eye’s main nerve—the optic nerve. The damage first causes you to lose sight from the sides of your eyes. Treating glaucoma is usually simple. Your eye care professional will give you special drops to use every day to lower the pressure in your eyes. Or your eye care professional may want you to have laser surgery.