Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley Raises Awareness About Diabetic Eye Disease Month

In case you didn't know, November is Diabetic Eye Disease Month. Now you might be wondering – a disease can have a disease? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. Diabetic eye diseases refer to a group of eye problems that people who live with diabetes can encounter. Diabetic eye diseases are further complications of diabetes that can result in severe vision loss or even blindness. We at Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley cannot stress the importance of knowing about these conditions enough, so please, read on…knowing this information may be a help to you for the future.

Three of the diseases that can result from diabetes are cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy.

A cataract is the clouding of the eye’s lens. Cataracts lie behind the pupil and the iris, and give the pupil a milky-white appearance. Cataracts can have an effect on your vision – but they are totally treatable.

Glaucoma is an increase in eye pressure due to a buildup of fluid inside the eye. Glaucoma leads to damage of the optic nerve and loss of vision. A person with diabetes is nearly twice as likely to develop glaucoma as other adults.

Diabetic retinopathy is damage to the blood vessels in the retina. Diabetic retinopathy can cause severe vision loss or even blindness. This condition can be treated with a special scatter laser treatment, but the best method of prevention is to make sure you control your blood sugar, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol.

If you need help controlling your blood glucose levels, make sure to schedule an appointment with a registered dietician. They can provide you with information on what to eat, give you tips on how to address daily challenges, help create a diet plan (taking what you like to eat, your lifestyle and your levels of physical activity into consideration), and help you set nutritional goals that will improve your overall health.

Your vision is nothing to joke around with. If you have diabetes and are worried about diabetic eye diseases, do not hesitate to contact one of our vision care specialists at Site for Sore Eyes Berkeley. They can help you develop a plan for the treatment and prevention of these avoidable diabetic eye diseases.