There’s a reason blurred vision is an early sign of high blood sugars. When blood sugars are consistently outside of target range it increases your chances for eye problems such as cataracts, retinopathy, and glaucoma.
The most concerning eye condition is diabetic retinopathy which affects 25.1% of people with type 2 diabetes.
The longer you live with diabetes, the greater your risk for developing eye conditions, which is why seeing an eye care specialist is critical to preventing and detecting diseases.
Keep reading to learn more about why it’s important to get a diabetic eye exam as a routine part of your diabetes care plan.
Why eye exams matter
Elevated blood sugars impact not just large parts of the body such as the heart, feet, and kidneys but also smaller blood vessels and organs like your eyes. Similar to sandpaper rubbing against the skin, extra sugary blood in your blood vessels gradually causes damage to the blood vessels, nerves, and the places the blood flows.
High blood sugars don’t discriminate against blood vessel size and can harm both large and small vessels. Large blood vessels lead to larger organs like your heart, while small blood vessels feed blood to your eyes, particularly the retina—the back of your eye.
Diabetic retinopathy happens when the tiny blood vessels in the eye begin to leak fluid and blood, which flows into the retina, causing damage and eventually can lead to loss of vision. It’s the leading cause of blindness in developed countries.
The good news is that it is often preventable or manageable if caught early! You can preserve your eyesight by getting routine diabetic eye exams from an eye care specialist such as an optometrist or ophthalmologist.
What to expect from a diabetic eye exam
During your diabetic eye exam, your eye doctor can look at the back of the eye to screen for any health changes and recommend treatment if there’s a need. In some cases, a special camera can take a picture of the back of the eye to screen for retinopathy. Most people with diabetes should receive an eye exam for retinopathy yearly, though eye care professionals may suggest more frequent eye exams depending on a person’s eye health.
3 reasons to get a routine eye exam
In addition to healthy eating and leading an active lifestyle, keeping your eye exam appointments is an additional key to keeping your diabetes care in check. Here are a few reasons to get regular eye exams when living with diabetes.
- They help prevent eye conditions: Eye exams and screenings help you stay on top of your diabetes care by determining any risks to your eye health and demonstrating any need for blood sugar or other medical management interventions.
- Eye exams make early detection possible: Your eye doctor can catch potential eye problems early on, possibly preventing the worsening of symptoms and improving the quality of your life.
- Regular monitoring allows for better treatment: Tracking changes to your eye health can help your doctor treat your conditions more effectively while staying aware of any risks of vision loss.
For answers to your questions about why it’s important to get a diabetic eye exam, please reach out to the 9amHealth Care Team by clicking on the "Help" button below. They can help you get the support you need to help you best manage your health as a whole.
