Diabetes and Eye Health: How Regular Eye Tests Can Save Your Sight
Have you ever considered how diabetes could affect your vision? Diabetes doesn’t just impact your blood sugar—it’s also one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. In fact, as of 2021, 9.6 million Americans were living with diabetic retinopathy (DR), and 1.84 million had vision-threatening DR (VTDR). Shocking, right? But here’s the good news: most diabetes-related vision problems are preventable with early detection and proper care. The key? Regular diabetic eye exams. Let’s dive into how diabetes affects your eyes, why routine eye exams are essential, and how you can protect your vision for the long term. How Diabetes Impacts Your Vision Diabetes occurs when your body struggles to process glucose (sugar) efficiently, either due to low insulin levels or insulin resistance. This excess sugar in your bloodstream damages blood vessels throughout the body, including in your eyes. Here’s a closer look at the most common diabetes-related eye conditions: 1. Diab...