high blood sugar: You probably already know how important it is to keep blood sugar levels within the recommended range if you or someone you love has diabetes. Major long-term health problems such as vision loss, heart disease and kidney disease can be avoided or delayed by proper management of blood sugar, HbA1c, cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Diabetes can have serious negative effects on the eyes, which can result in blindness or visual loss. This is due to the fact that high blood sugar can destroy the capillaries in the most delicate tissues of the eye, which send signals to the brain and enable clear vision. This retinal damage brought on by high blood pressure can lead to permanent loss of vision. However, there is hope. By monitoring and regulating blood sugar levels as recommended by your doctor, one can avoid major eye damage.
High blood sugar management: five things you can do to help preserve vision during diabetes
understand the numbers
When blood sugar levels rise, the delicate blood vessels that nourish the most delicate areas of the eye are often the first to sustain damage. High blood sugar specifically damages the retina. The thin tissue that makes up about 65 percent of the back of the eye is called the retina. Many light-sensitive cells reside there, allowing the eye to transmit visual information to the brain via the optic nerve.
When blood sugar levels rise, the blood vessels that supply the retina become damaged. This can cause blurred vision, either temporarily or permanently. Diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts are three different eye conditions that are quite common in people with diabetes. Timely recognition and intervention can reduce such complications. By keeping track of blood sugar levels, the risk of these sight-stealing conditions can be reduced.
stop smoking
Smoking damages every body system, but diabetics are particularly vulnerable. Smoking damages nerves, arteries and capillaries in the body, diabetes-related eye damage already exists. Whether you are a smoker and have tried to quit or want to quit for the first time, don’t give up. Talk to your doctor about your options.
move it
Exercise benefits all bodily systems in the same way that smoking does, so get moving! After lunch, take a few walks around the block. Take a few extra steps and park at the far end of the parking lot. Regular exercise may reduce your risk of developing diabetic eye disease because it lowers blood sugar levels. Put it on your calendar each week to remind you to make time for this meeting with yourself that will improve your life. Before starting any exercise regimen, discuss with your doctor about the types of exercises they recommend.
focus on healthy eating
You are what you eat, we all have been told since childhood. Healthy food leads to healthy eyes. Eat a diet that is well balanced and includes food that provides your body with good nutrients to protect diabetic eyes. Vitamins A, C, E, beta-carotene, lutein, omega-3 fatty acids, zinc and zeaxanthin are some of them. Eating more leafy greens, fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, or mackerel, nuts such as walnuts and almonds, beans, lentils, and mushrooms will help you reach this goal. Maintaining a low glycemic diet is important for managing blood sugar levels.
annual dilated eye exam
The best tip is reserved for last: To make sure your efforts to control blood sugar are helping to maintain the health of your vision, see your ophthalmologist once a year for a thorough dilation. Get eye exams, or more often if advised. Cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy can be screened for at this visit. As your eyes dilate, your pupils dilate, allowing your ophthalmologist to take a closer look at the retina, macula, and optic nerve. Your doctor can detect early stages of diabetic retinopathy by looking at these sensitive tissues, long before you have any symptoms.
(Dr. Kuldeep Dole, Medical Director – HV Desai Eye Hospital an Orbis partner hospital of PBMA)