World Diabetes Day 2022: How Diabetics Can Manage Eye Problems

Diabetes is a disease affecting an estimated 537 million people across the world, including more than 77 million in India. It has also been associated with various kinds of eye problems.

World Diabetes Day is observed every year on November 14 to mark the birth anniversary of Sir Frederick Banting, Canadian scientist who co-discovered insulin with Charles Best in 1922. Diabetes is a chronic health condition that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively utilise the insulin it produces. In other words, it affects how the body turns food into energy. 

Diabetes is a disease affecting an estimated 537 million people across the world, including more than 77 million in India. It has also been associated with various kinds of eye problems. On World Diabetes Day, we look at these eye problems, and how far we can manage them.

How diabetics can manage eye problems

Diabetics cannot prevent eye problems completely because it is linked more to the duration of diabetes than its control, Dr Natasha Radhakrishnan, Clinical Professor, Ophthalmology Amrita Hospital, Kochi, told ABP Live via mail. "However, all diabetic people can prevent themselves from becoming blind due to diabetic eye complications," she added.

That can be done by controlling one’s sugar levels, and consuming food items that completely cut off sugar from their diet. Diabetics can reduce your carbohydrate intake and increase your fibre intake. They should do all the things that their dietitian and diabetologist advise them to do. It is important to maintain a very active lifestyle, including some amount of moderate exercise, Dr Radhakrishnan added. 

All of this will help diabetics keep their diabetes under control. “This will indirectly help them to prevent eye problems from occurring, or at least occurring as late as possible,” she said. 

No matter how well diabetics control their sugar levels, they certainly do have a risk of developing diabetic eye problems. Therefore, they should undergo eye screening on a regular basis. For people with diabetic retinopathy, a diabetic complication caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue of the retina, the vision becomes blurry when the retina starts growing new blood vessels. 

A diabetic can also start losing their vision if they have diabetic macular edema. When blood vessels in the retina start leaking fluid into it, swelling occurs in the central part or the macula. This condition is called diabetic macular edema. 

Therefore, diabetics with diabetic retinopathy must undergo a dilated fundus examination every year to look for changes in their retina. This is a diagnostic technique that makes use of drops to dilate or enlarge the pupils. 

However, a simple eye checkup will not be enough. Diabetics should undergo a dilated fundus examination performed by a qualified ophthalmologist to look for changes in the retina. If one is at the vision-threatening stage of diabetic retinopathy, they should undergo treatment before they reach the end-stage diabetic disease. This will help them preserve their vision till the end of their life.

While one cannot prevent the disease from affecting their retina too much, they can prevent the loss of vision through regular screening, Dr Radhakrishnan said. After screening their eyes, diabetics should undergo the required treatment.

Steps to be taken by those suffering from diabetic retinopathy

“Diabetic retinopathy is not always preventable. However, regular eye examinations, good control of one’s blood sugar and blood pressure, and early intervention for vision problems can help prevent severe vision loss,” Dr Saurabh Choudhary, CEO of ICARE Eye Hospital, Noida, told ABP Live. 

If one has diabetes, they can reduce the risk of having diabetic retinopathy by taking the following steps:

Managing diabetes: Diabetics should make healthy eating and physical activity a part of their daily routine. Each week, they should perform moderate aerobic activities, such as walking. They should take oral medications or insulin as directed.

Monitoring blood sugar level: One may need to check and record their blood sugar level several times a day, or more frequently if they are  ill or under stress. They should ask their doctor how often they need to test your blood sugar.

Undergoing a glycosylated haemoglobin test regularly: The glycosylated haemoglobin test, or haemoglobin A1C test, reflects one’s average blood sugar level for the two- to three-month period before the test. The A1C goal for most people with diabetes is seven per cent or less. 

Keeping blood pressure and cholesterol under control: Eating healthy foods, exercising regularly and losing excess weight can help diabetics manage their condition. Sometimes medication is also needed.

Quitting smoking: Smoking increases one’s risk of various diabetes complications, including diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, people who smoke or chew tobacco should seek help from their doctor on how to quit the habit.

Paying attention to vision changes: Diabetics should contact their eye doctor right away if their vision suddenly changes or becomes blurry, spotty or hazy.