St. George Utah Optometrist Discusses Diabetes and Your Vision

Did you know that diabetes can be detected through an eye exam?  The pressure inside your eyes is taken at every routine annual eye exam and can be an indicator of diabetes.  With an estimated 1 in 10 people being affected by diabetes, you’ll want to make sure you stay diligent in getting your eye exam annually. Diabetes affects all areas of your physical health, including your vision.

Effects of Diabetes on Your Vision

• Glaucoma can be caused by diabetes when the diabetes restricts the fluid in the eye from draining appropriately.  When this occurs, the pressure inside the eye builds and contributes to glaucoma.  The building pressure in the eye may cause damage to the optic nerve in the eye and/or damage to the delicate blood vessels housed in the eye.  It has been shown the people with diabetes are 40 times more likely to develop glaucoma than those without diabetes.
• Diabetic Retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness in people ages 20-64 years old.  It can occur when high levels of blood sugar damage the blood vessels flowing into the eye.
• Cataracts often develop in people who don’t suffer with diabetes, but those who do are more than 60% more likely to develop cataracts.  In addition to that, people suffering with diabetes also develop cataracts earlier in life and experience a more aggressive spread of the cataract once it appears.  They appear as a cloudiness covering the lens of the eye.

Controlling Your Diabetes

Many of the damages caused to the eye from diabetes can be prevented.  Proper health care, including your annual eye exams, are the best chance of catching early diabetes.  If you or a loved one is suffering from diabetes or if you believe your genetic line is at risk for developing diabetes, please don’t delay seeing Dr.Smith.  The lasting affects of diabetes on your eyes are time sensitive.  The sooner you make that appointment, the better.  Call us to schedule.  435-359-2020