National Diabetes Month.

November marks Diabetes Awareness Month, bringing together diabetics to raise awareness of the condition that affects millions of people around the world. This year’s focus is on prediabetes and preventing diabetes, but as world leaders in low vision magnification for people with macular degeneration we wanted to take a moment to raise awareness for the effects diabetes can have on your vision. This stays firmly within the theme of prevention, as type 2 diabetes is the leading cause of preventable sight loss in the UK.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common sight-related complication of diabetes, and (if untreated) can lead to blindness. With consistently high blood-sugar levels blood vessels become damaged—and it probably goes without saying that the eye contains many important and sensitive blood vessels. If the retina doesn’t have access to the blood it needs to work properly, eyesight will be negatively affected.

Diabetic Macular Oedema

Again caused by damage to the blood vessels, macular oedema occurs when blood vessels leak fluid into the retina. This can cause vision loss when the fluid reaches the middle of the retina (the macula), which over time becomes less healthy and, in turn, vision is blurred. Smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol can also increase your risk of diabetic macular oedema.

Retinal Detachment

Retinal detachment is heavily associated with ageing. As people age their retina can become fragile, leaking fluid underneath to the extent that the retina starts pulling away from the underlying blood vessels, starving the retina of oxygen and damaging the cells responsible for light detection.

Glaucoma

Diabetes can also increase the risk of glaucoma. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. Damage is again caused by a build-up of fluid which increases pressure on the eye. Glaucoma is the leading cause of sight loss among those of working age, it can take a long time to develop without showing any signs of sight loss, but gradually and irreversibly affects central vision.

Cataracts

A cataract is cloudiness of the eye lens which causes blurry vision, again caused by damage to the blood vessels in the eye. High sugar levels in the lens of the eye cause it to swell which blurs the vision of the sufferer. Unlike other sight-related complications of diabetes, cataracts can be reversed with surgical intervention.

 If diagnosed in time all of these complications can be treated in one way or another—one very good reason for raising awareness for diabetes and its complications. Of course, in any case it’s preferable to avoid diabetes altogether if possible—find out more about National Diabetes Month and preventing diabetes.