What you need to know about Diabetes And Blurry Vision?

How does diabetes affect your eyes? 

So, diabetes and blurry vision, what could be the connection? We need to understand how diabetes works and affects our bodies to answer this. 

Diabetes occurs when your body isn’t able to process food effectively. When you have diabetes, your body doesn’t produce enough insulin, a hormone which provides glucose, in other words, blood sugar, to the cells in your body. Having excessive glucose in the bloodstream can damage blood vessels and nerves of the whole body, including the eyes.

Diabetic eye disease 

Diabetic eye disease consists of a group of various eye conditions that can result from diabetes, Such as 

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a collection of eye diseases that affect the optic nerve, essential for good vision. One type of glaucoma, neovascular glaucoma, is caused by diabetes.

High blood sugar levels can damage the retina’s blood vessels and create new ones when new blood vessels grow on the eye’s iris, which causes eye pressure and glaucoma.

Diabetic retinopathy 

Diabetic retinopathy happens due to changes in the retina’s blood vessels. For a long period, having high blood sugar can block tiny blood vessels, which causes either leaking of the vessels or growth of abnormal new blood vessels on the retina’s surface.

Diabetic retinopathy symptoms 

In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, you may not notice any symptoms. As the condition worsens, you may experience:

Blurred vision 

Night blindness

Total loss vision 

Eye floaters

Dark or empty areas in your vision 

Cataracts

Having high blood sugar levels in the aqueous humor, can result in cataracts. Aqueous humor is the space between the eyeballs and the lens of the cornea. It supplies oxygen to the lens. 

So, when the blood sugar rises, the lens swells, resulting in blurry vision.

Macular edema 

Macular edema is the build-up of fluid in the macula, an area in the center of the retina. Macula, which provides a sharp and straight vision – can swell due to leakage of blood vessels caused by diabetes.

Diabetic retinopathy is a term that describes the retinal disorder caused by diabetes which develops in the following stages: 

Stage 1: mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy

Stage 2: moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy

Stage 3: severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy

Stage 4: proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Progression of diabetic retinopathy 

But they progress in broadly two categories. 

Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR)

Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy is also known as background retinopathy, early-stage, with mild or no symptoms.

In this stage, the retina’s blood vessels may become weak and may create a blockage, resulting in fluid leakage. Fluid leakage can cause swelling in the central part of the retina.

Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy can be mild, moderate, or severe, depending on how serious the blood vessel problem is.

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR)

This stage progresses slowly and steadily; you wouldn’t even know that you might have developed this stage for several years. PDR is an advanced stage of eye complications. Blood vessels cannot effectively provide blood to the retina because they have closed up. To balance, new vessels start to grow. This stage develops only in a few people with diabetes.

Due to the growth of new blood vessels, they cannot provide normal blood flow to the retina, which results in scarring and wrinkling. In severe cases, it can fudge a person’s vision.

Prevention 

The ideal way to manage your diabetes and blurry vision problems are to manage high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.

Several ways might prevent eye problems related to diabetes.

Controlling your blood sugar 

If you face eye problems while having diabetes, it’s best shot that you consult your doctor to control your blood sugar. 

Lower your blood pressure and cholesterol

There are several ways you can do this, such as,

Healthy diet 

Cutting smoking 

Reduce stress 

Cut back on caffeine 

In this blog, I’ve talked more briefly about how you can prevent diabetes-related complications.

Avoiding harmful rays

Protecting yourself from ultraviolet rays exposure to these may result in the progression of cataracts.

Diagnosis

Diabetic retinopathy can be diagnosed through a thorough eye examination that may include:

• Refraction is used to evaluate if a new prescription for eyeglasses is required.
• Measurements of visual acuity to see how much central vision has been compromised. 
• Examination of the ocular structures, including a dilated pupil examination of the retina.
• The pressure inside the eye is measured.

When should you visit an eye doctor?

The best method to avoid vision loss is to keep your diabetes under control. Even if your vision appears OK, consult your eye doctor for an annual eye check with dilation if you have diabetes.

Diabetic retinopathy can be caused by developing diabetes while pregnant (gestational diabetes) or having diabetes before becoming pregnant. If you’re expecting a child, your eye doctor may advise you to get regular eye tests during your pregnancy.

If your eyesight changes suddenly or becomes blurry, spotty, or foggy, see your eye doctor.

Treatment options 

If you are suffering from severe retinopathy, a doctor might recommend 

Injections in the eye 

A doctor may inject a drug called anti-VEGF into the eye through a fine needle that keeps stopping new blood vessels from growing in the eye.  

Laser surgery 

Laser treatment on the back of the eye can reduce swelling of the retina’s center.

Microsurgery 

A doctor will make a tiny cut to remove a jelly-like substance built up behind the lens.

Dialysis of the kidneys

This therapy clears your blood of waste products and excess fluid. Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis are the two most common kinds of dialysis. You may need to go to a dialysis clinic three times a week to be linked to an artificial kidney machine, or you may have dialysis done at home by a trained caregiver in the first, more usual way. Each session lasts between 3 and 5 hours. The second procedure may also be done at home.

Bottom line 

Blurred vision can be a little problem with an instant solution like prescription eyeglasses or eye drops.

It might, however, suggest a significant eye disease or a problem other than diabetes. You should tell your doctor if you have blurry vision or other issues.

Early treatment can often repair or prevent a condition from becoming worse.