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Diabetes - The #1 “preventable” blinding disease
I see many patients with diabetes in the office. Most are doing well, however some will start to show advanced stages of “diabetic retinopathy “ (retina problems due to diabetes). Diabetes is a problem of the small blood vessels causing them to leak, break, and in some cases grow back with poor results.
While you may not have any symptoms of diabetes that does not ensure that your eyes are not showing early signs, even if you have had a normal health check up. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are at risk. Approximately 40-45% of all diabetics will show some sign of diabetic eye problems so please get your eyes checked at least once a year.
Problems of diabetes include:
- Fluctuating vision, especially around meal time
- Blurring of vision or spots in vision
- More glare, side vision loss, pain
- Loss of sight
Know Your:
- HA1C level (% regarding your overall sugar level ; should be 4.5-5.5%)
- Check your daily sugar making sure it is not to high or low
- Don’t miss your checkups - I can’t stress this enough
Our patient here is showing what we call “cotton wool spots,” or dead nerve tissue. Because the small blood vessels to that portion of the eye have stopped working, the retinal tissue has lost its oxygen and food supply. Unfortunately this tissue will not return, spots in the vision will result.
Our patient here is showing blood leakage or, “dot blot hemorrhages.” The small vessels have broken and are leaking blood into the surrounding tissue. Results? Swelling, scarring, loss of oxygen, dying tissue and possible vision loss.
Our second patient shows a “flame hemorrhage” near the optic nerve (Drance hemorrhage) which is also indicative of glaucoma changes.
Both our patients show fat-lipid leaking out of the system. Again, diabetes is a disease of small vessels that leak. You can see this as yellow spots in the retinal tissue. Both patients are at risk of some vision loss since this is occurring so close to the center vision (macula).
Our patient is showing more advanced forms of diabetic retinopathy with new blood vessel growth (neovascularization). These vessels are showing up because the retina, in this area, is lacking oxygen and trying to recover. The vessels however are poorly made and also leak causing more damage and loss of sight.
*All photos taken by Dr. Tahir of our patients and property of JEA
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