Diabetes Blindness

If you are borderline diabetic or are already suffering from diabetes, you should educate yourself regarding the diabetes blindness connection. Among adults in the United States, diabetes ranked as a top cause of vision loss. It is unfortunate that millions of Americans aged 40 and up are prediabetic, which means they are on the borderline of developing full blown Type II diabetes. To find out if you have diabetes or prediabetes, a simple blood sugar test performed by your doctor is all that is necessary.

Diabetes can also be detected by your eye doctor during an examination. The examination must include the dilation where drops are placed in the eyes to dilate them. Sometimes, an eye exam is how the condition is first diagnosed. Unfortunately, many people don't get regular eye exams or even physical checkups for that matter. This means the conditions of prediabetes and diabetes may remain undiagnosed until symptoms become problematic. As with most any condition, early detection is key to keeping things under control.

Many Americans just don't realize how important an eye exam can be for the health of their whole body, not just their eyes. If you have good vision and think you don't need your eyes checked every year, think again. Not only can a dilated exam diagnose diabetes, other tests performed during a routine exam can detect certain other conditions as well. Anemia, high cholesterol and hypertension can also be found during an eye exam. You may have heard the eyes called the windows to the soul, but Leonardo DaVinci called them the windows to the body which is definitely accurate in many cases.

Annual eye exams are so important because according to the CDC, many patients who have retinopathy due to diabetes or prediabetes may not even notice a problem with their eyesight. This is the time when the condition is at its most treatable. What this tells patients and doctors alike is that whether or not you are experiencing problems with your eyes an annual exam is extremely important to your health and may save your eyesight or your life. Thousands of cases of sight loss due to diabetes are reported each year and can possibly be prevented.

One reason many people don't pay more attention to the diabetes blindness connection is because they think their eyes are fine, and even if they aren't many don't have vision coverage on their health insurance policy. Eye exams can be pricey for some people and therefore may be skipped. However you should know that if you are uninsured, or your current policy does not cover annual eye exams there are advocacy programs that can help you. Also, many eye doctors these days offer convenient financing plans for uninsured patients who cannot pay all at once.

Anchor Center for Blind Children

 

 

Technorati Tags: Blindness, Coping With Blindness, Diabetes Blindness

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