Diabetes is the number one causal agent of impaired vision for adults between age twenty and seventy-four. In the past four years alone, over four million individuals in North America suffering from diabetes were diagnosed with blindness caused by diabetes. Out of those tested, seventy thousand were afflicted with acute diabetic retinopathy, which, if left unmonitored, will lead to a serious vision loss.
Exactly, how necessary is it to get tested for blindness cause by diabetes?
To start, individuals diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at risk. Anyone in this category should ensure that they have an eye exam yearly. The longer the disease remains unmonitored, the greater the risk of diabetes related blindness. Quick treatment is the key to preventing further damage.
Women who are pregnant that have been diagnosed with pregnancy-related diabetes have a better likelihood of developing diabetic retinopathy. It is crucial to schedule a complete dilated eye exam after diagnosis as well.
You may ask yourself why all the concern? Wouldn’t signs of sight deterioration be obvious?
Well the answer shockingly is, not necessarily. There are many sorts of diabetic retinopathy, and only those which are in the acute stages are easy to discern. Progressive diabetes can have no symptoms. Macular edema is another diabetes related disease which results in extreme blindness. Both conditions may appear without any noticeable symptoms. This is why early diagnosis is critical to halting any lasting damage.
A complete assessment will discern symptoms of diabetic retinopathy. There are various steps to this exam which will show the typical signs, such as damaged nerve tissue, swelling of the retina, and leaky blood vessels. What is entailed in a comprehensive vision exam?
First of all you will undergo a visual acuity exam by means of an eye chart that is used to assess how well you are able to see at various distances. This is just like the visual acuity tests given by your optometrist, to see if you need glasses.
To give a dilated eye exam, the eye doctor places drops in your eyes to enlarge the size of your pupils. Though not a favorite of most people, it can save you blindness further down the road. This measure makes it possible to examine a larger part of the inside of your eyes to identify for specific symptoms that reveal the presence of diabetic retinopathy. The cursory discomfort could save your ability to see.
Take care of your sight. Even a little hesitation can cause severe damage. If you have been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, it is crucial to plan an eye exam with your optometrist every year.