DIABETES: WATCH YOUR EYES!

In the long term, poorly controlled diabetes can lead to serious vision problems. However, early treatment would prevent many cases! It is therefore essential to have your eyes checked regularly.

Diabetes control, a necessity

When you have diabetes, it is sometimes very difficult to control your blood sugar, even with treatment. And yet, it is essential...

In the long term, the chronic excess of glucose in the blood is harmful for your body, especially for your eyes!

Diabetes attacks it insidiously for many years, without you feeling any symptoms.

 

But it is important to realize this before it is too late! A simple fundus examination by an ophthalmologist is enough to detect if your eyes are in danger.

The risk of visual impairment increases with the duration of the diabetes and the importance of the glycemic imbalance.

 

Diabetic retinopathy: the retina in danger

The main ocular complication of diabetes (type 1 and 2) is damage to the retina (retinopathy). 

In question ? The chronic excess of sugar in the blood leads to bioc

hemical alterations in the wall of the retinal capillaries, tiny blood vessels that irrigate the retina.

After many years of glycemic imbalance, this can have two consequences:

 

• Poor retinal irrigation and neovascularization
  Over time, the retinal capillaries become progressively blocked. Eventually, the retina ends up not being well irrigated. This in itself does not affect vision very much because it is usually the peripheral parts of the retina that are affected.
  But the problem is that in reaction the retina stimulates the production of new vessels, to compensate for the lack of oxygenation. However, these abnormal vessels are likely to rupture and cause repeated bleeding. The result is fibrosis that pulls on the retina and detaches it, which can cause complete blindness.
   

• Hyperpermeability of the capillary walls and macular edema
  The capillaries become less impermeable and the liquids they contain pass into the retinal tissue.
  The accumulation of fluids in the retina causes cell dysfunction that most often affects the macula, in the center of the retina. This clouds the center of the visual field that allows us to see ahead and lowers visual acuity.
  This "macular oedema" is today the main cause of visual impairment in diabetic patients. (1)

 

Deal in time

It is important to take care of these problems as soon as possible, before they irreversibly affect vision.

 

• In case of neovascularization, laser treatment burns the poorly irrigated peripheral retina, in order to stop the proliferation of abnormal blood vessels and cause them to regress. The peripheral field of vision is therefore reduced but this actually has little impact on vision.

• In the case of localized edema, laser treatment can dry up the leaks and reduce the edema.

• In case of diffuse edema, treatment is offered by intraocular injection of a product that will help reduce the edema.

 

Diabetes: other risks for the eyes

In addition to retinopathy, diabetes also exposes you to other eye damage.
In particular, you have a higher risk of cataracts (earlier) and glaucoma . These diseases are also best treated if caught in time.

 

How to protect your eyes?

• Do everything to balance your diabetes
  And thus limit the chronic excess of glucose, which damages your eyes.
   

• Keeping your blood pressure under control High blood
  pressure increases your risk of developing eye problems.
   

• Go to the ophthalmologist at least once a year
  It seems simple and yet… Health Insurance surveys have shown that less than 50% of diabetics (2) carry out an eye fundus examination each year.
  Think about it, it's your sight that is at stake!