How can type 2 diabetes affect your eyesight?
June 26th, 2009 | by The Doc |
babbit asked:
My mom has type 2 diabetes and she was told it could affect her eyes. I was just wondering what that meant?
My mom has type 2 diabetes and she was told it could affect her eyes. I was just wondering what that meant?
11 Responses to “How can type 2 diabetes affect your eyesight?”
By babybirdycc on Jun 28, 2009 | Reply
idk eat some carrots and call a docter… they would prob. help!
By siiri_luukin on Jun 29, 2009 | Reply
All three types of Diabetes can affect your eyesight due to elevated blood sugar levels causing micro-scopic vessels in your eyes to burst, and blood leakage can cause blindness.
By Info team on Jun 30, 2009 | Reply
Yes it can,
Ophthalmology is the study of the diseases and surgery of the visual pathways. A check up with an ophthalmologist regularly is to check for any concerns diabetics are prone to. A dilated eye exam allows the ophthalmologist to check the back of the eye more thoroughly. Swelling, abnormal blood vessels in the eyes, and fluid in the back of the eye will be checked for. This check up should happen once a year. (Diabetes.co.uk, 2008)
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common form of diabetic eye disease. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when changes in blood glucose levels cause changes in retinal blood vessels. In some cases, these vessels will swell up, called macular oedema, and leak fluid into the rear of the eye. In other cases, abnormal blood vessels will grow on the surface of the retina. These changes, over time, may result in the loss of vision and blindness. (Diabetes.co.uk, 2008)
Other complications such as cataracts and glaucoma also affect diabetics. Cataracts is clouding of the eye’s lens. Glaucoma is the increase in fluid pressure inside the eye which leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision. (Diabetes.co.uk, 2008)
By Brown Sugar on Jul 1, 2009 | Reply
diabetes can cause a deterioration of the small blood vessels and nerve endings in he back of the eye which can cause blindness. tell your mom that getting and maintaining good control of her sugar levels will help to keep this from happening
By bunny on Jul 2, 2009 | Reply
My mom is also diabetic and as a result has macular degeneration in one eye. That is one of the eye diseases that can develop. Diabetic retinopathy is another. I put some links to information for you.
By Jay S on Jul 2, 2009 | Reply
Diabetics experience damage to the tiny capillaries leading to the eye. That can cause blurry vision and even blindness.
By j.f. on Jul 4, 2009 | Reply
We just went over this in my anatomy class for nursing school. Basically, diabetes is when your pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, so your liver doesn’t break down sugar and send it to your cells like it should. So instead of storing it as glucose–cell food–it stores it as fat. The fat eventually clogs up your arteries, causing decreased circulation all throughout your body. This is why a lot of diabetics end up having to have their toes or even more amputated. The loss of circulation causes the tissues to die and turn gangrenous.
Diabetes affects the eyes in the same way, by fat blocking the arteries and blood vessels inside the eyes, which eventually leads to blindness. Diabetes can also cause strokes because the stored fat blocks blood vessels to the brain.
So tell your mom to watch her blood glucose levels and stick to her ADA diet, and if she has to take insulin to keep at it as prescribed. On my clinicals in nursing school, we had a few patients that had already had toes, feet, legs amputated. Your mom can avoid all this if she sticks to the dietary guidelines. Also, do some research of your own so you can get a better understanding of the disease and be a good support system for her. I hope this helps clear some things up and I also hope your mom does well.
By Gary B on Jul 5, 2009 | Reply
Diabetes causes the capillaries in your body to break. this causes tiny pools of blood to build up in the retinas, causing blindness.
Sometimes, the break is in a large vessel, and a small “blood blister” can form. this will cause the retina to separate, again causing blindness.
And diabetes affects the nerves. If the optic nerve is affected, blindness is the result.
Simply put, many diabetics go blind. but in the early stages it can affect your focus, or (in my case) night vision (I used to have trouble driving at night).
Capillaries are ALL OVER your body. Capillaries are the very small blood vessel that connect arteries to veins. A major cause of sickness and death in diabetics is kidney failure — the kidneys are loaded with capillaries!
Broke capillaries in the brain are called Mini Strokes (or TMI, I think). These will eat away at your memory and sense little by little, until one day it’s the Big One. These TMI’s are like having Alzheimer’s . . .
By shears on Jul 6, 2009 | Reply
Type 2 diabetes, once known as adult-onset or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition that affects the way your body metabolizes sugar (glucose), your body’s main source of fuel. Type 2 diabetes is often preventable, but the condition is on the rise — fueled largely by the current obesity epidemic.
Long term complication affects the EYES(eye sight). Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina (called diabetic retinopathy), potentially leading to blindness. Diabetes also increases the risk of other serious vision conditions, such as cataracts and glaucoma.
When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t use sugar (glucose) properly. If your blood sugar level is too high, your natural lens may swell — which can blur your vision. Eventually, too much sugar in your blood can damage the tiny blood vessels (capillaries) that nourish the retina. This can result in diabetic retinopathy.
By Kangenpowerteam on Jul 9, 2009 | Reply
If you have diabetes, you will want to read this book. Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes.
He talks about the cause of diabetes and how to stabilize your body with healthy eating. For now, I suggest stopping margarine, lessen butter, cut down on milk products, and start eating foods with a lower glycemic index.
Try this for dinner. Find fresh sweet potatoes that are easy to peal and slice into wedges. Peal and slice into wedges, and bake for about an hour. You can add cinnamon (very good for diabetics) but avoid butter and sweeteners.
You can add this to other vegetables that you have for dinner.
Make split pea soup. I found out how easy it is. Just add a pound of split peas to a 1/2 gallon of water in a crock pot, and leave on high for 5 hours. I also put in a 1/2 pound of lintels and some more water, it makes it a little better.
Most fruits are great for a diabetic, except for watermelon that has fast absorbing sugars. Cantaloupe is recommended, along with all the other fruits, strawberries instead of ice cream, ect.
A baked russet potato is faster absorbing than a sweet potato or yam, so is not recommended as much.
I highly suggest that you read the book, my aunt lost her feet due to low circulation in her feet, so it i important to me.
Best of luck to both of you. Yes you are likely to also catch diabetes, not mainly because of your genes, but because of your cookbook. You are probably 40% likely to be eating the same toxic foods that she grew up on, and will continue to make tasty – yet toxic meals. By toxic I don’t mean it will kill you this month, but after a while the toxins can cause the liver and kidneys to become overloaded with toxins.
By Becky K on Jul 10, 2009 | Reply
I am type 2 and i now have to wear glasses. I have been Diabetic for 7 years and had to get glasses a year ago. Your Mom needs to have a eye exam once to twice a year. Tell her I said good luck, but if she can keep her sugar numbers from 80 to 120 her eyes should be ok. But to be on the safe side have them eyes checked 1 to 2 times a year.
Becky