The Real Importance Of Controlling Diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic disease; that is, it has no cure and can stay with a person for their entire life. It is also a disease often called “silent,” as many people have it without even knowing it and only identify it when it is already advanced. Examining this condition, defined as a lack of blood sugar control, is more important than you might think. Why? First, let’s look at the risks that diabetes brings to our health.
It is worth noting that there are two main types of diabetes, called type 1 and type 2. Type 1 usually appears in children and adolescents and can be with the person since birth. Therefore, it is easier to understand the signs. Type 2, the most common, will be our focus in this text. It is a silent disease with few or even no symptoms. You may discover this when you have an eye exam or if you have any problems with sexual intercourse.
This happens because high sugar levels harm nerves and blood vessels. Hence, there is a need to control it! This article explains the reasons for maintaining diabetes in relation to the eye-related defects that come with the disease and points you to a medical center in Western Sydney where it can be done properly.
Five Reasons Why You Need To Maintain Diabetics
Maintaining Diabetes Can Help Avoid Complications of Eye Health
Diabetes generates several physiological responses that have a direct impact on eye health, predisposing the patient to corneal problems, cataracts, and glaucoma. Furthermore, it promotes the development of diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of irreversible blindness in economically active persons.
Diabetes control requires constant visits to the diabetes doctor (endocrinologist) and harmony of action between this professional and the other specialists who monitor the patient. It is recommended that people with type 1 diabetes see an ophthalmologist no later than five years after the disease is diagnosed and that people with type 2 diabetes do so as soon as this diagnosis is confirmed.
In both cases, the earlier the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy, the greater the treatment and control options for the disease. Diabetic patients must undergo annual eye checks or at the discretion of their doctor.
Diabetes Causes Serious Damage to the Cornea
The cells of the corneal epithelium of people with diabetes do not have the same adherence as those of non-diabetics. In surgical procedures in which the cornea tends to lose its epithelium more easily and frequently, diabetic patients experience slower healing and cell repopulation.
This fragility of the organism can be the gateway to opportunistic infections, blepharitis, and ulcers. Although there are no restrictions regarding diabetics’ use of contact lenses, this patient requires extra attention and greater care from the diabetes doctor.
Cataracts Are More Prevalent in the Diabetic Population
Cataracts are more prevalent in the diabetic population due to sorbitol (polyalcohol resulting from sugar metabolism) that accumulates in the lens. In hyperglycemia, the lens absorbs water, and its anterior segment enlarges, which causes myopia in the patient. As blood sugar returns to normal levels, the lens dehydrates and returns to its original size. Repeating this situation alters the fibers of the lens structure, causing it to become opacified.
This explains the greater predisposition of people with diabetes to suffer from cataracts earlier and more frequently. Lack of glycemic control can also affect refraction tests, indicating non-existent or greater myopia than that present in situations of normal glycemia. The diabetes doctor must provide information about the patient’s blood glucose level before the ophthalmologist prescribes glasses.
Diabetes Is Also a Risk Factor for the Onset of Glaucoma
Due to the chemical alterations brought on by diabetes, the body experiences tissue degradation that affects the trabeculae and, as a result, the flow of aqueous humor. This degeneration raises intraocular pressure and results in glaucoma.
Diabetic Retinopathy
This constitutes a major threat to the preservation of the health of patients with diabetes and an important social and economic burden for the health system. Due to the chemical changes caused by diabetes in the body, the walls of the blood vessels gradually become more fragile, leading to leaks and hemorrhages.
Diabetic retinopathy is related to changes in retinal blood microcirculation. The most severe stage of the illness, known as proliferative diabetic retinopathy, is characterized by neovascularization, which can occur if therapy and management are not received. This process includes the emergence of micro-aneurysms, capillary dilations, ischemia, plasma leakage, capillary blockage, and other symptoms.
The non-proliferative form of the disease, prevalent in 90% of cases, generally causes mild to moderate vision loss, especially if there is macular edema. In contrast, the proliferative form causes marked vision loss.
The most efficient treatment for diabetic retinopathy is still to prevent it from occurring through severe control of blood glucose, blood pressure, and nephropathies, combating obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, and cutting out smoking. Preventive measures delay or prevent the onset of the disease in 50% of cases, slow its evolution, and make treatment less traumatic in up to 75% of cases.
Conclusion
This article mostly focuses on the effects uncontrolled diabetes can have on the eyes. However, it can affect all body parts, and you can learn more by speaking to a professional at Blacktown Medical Centre. We offer all the maintenance you need for Type 1 and 2 diabetes at our medical center in Western Sydney. You can get a consultation today, and we are available 24/7!
