Normally we heard about the relation between diabetes and vision loss. But, do you know the facts about it and the treatment options?
Read further to find out more about it
What Is The Effect of Diabetes To The Vision?
Diabetes that are not controlled well can potentially affects the structure of the eyes and causes :
- Eye Ulcer (infected wound becoming ulcer)
- Cataract (eye lenses becomes affected and slowly blurred)
- Glaucoma (high pressure inside of the eyeball) and
- Retinopathy (damage to the retina)
How Diabetes Can Affect Retina?
Diabetes can cause damage to retina and the blood will become too dense and as a result it will slow down the blood flow.
The damage on the blood vessels will cause the vital organs to have less oxygen supply
To the eye, lack of oxygen can cause damage to the retina called retinopathy, a disease on the retina.
Left image: Healthy retina condition. Right image: The formation of unhealthy blood vessels. Laser treatment or injection of special drug into the eyes can help to reduce the unhealthy blood vessels and prevent it to become worse.
How To Take Care of The Eyes From The Effects of Diabetes?
Diabetes patients are advised to do eye screening when they are diagnosed with diabetes even if their vision at the time still in a good condition.
If the vision is still in a normal and good condition, scheduled screening need to be done continuously for at least once a year.
If there is an abnormality detected at the early stage, the visits to eye specialist need to be done more frequently based on the current condition so that the specialist can help to do an early treatment to treat the diabetes complication.
What Is The Latest Eye Treatment For Diabetes Complication?
The treatment will be given based on the affected part and the damage condition. The leaking blood vessels on the macular can be treated with drug injection to the eyes for few months
For some cases, laser treatment will be suggested by specialist. Meanwhile, the operation will be done if the laser treatment or injection are not suitable for the patient.
Is The Laser Treatment Risky?
There are few laser treatments for eyes. Laser treatment for diabetes normally involves laser ray to the retinal part that is not affected with the centre vision.
It can help to control the formation of normal blood vessels and later causes abnormal the blood vessels to shrink.
Left image: Healthy eyes. Right image: laser treatment on the retina (the laser is not directed to the centre of the vision). The laser treatment proven to prevent blindness and vision loss caused by diabetes.
Can The Diabetes Patients Undergo Transplant Operation After Becomes Blind?
Organ transplant is one of the latest technology at times. Unfortunately, only one layer of the eye structure can be replaced which is cornea (front layer of the eye).
Now, because diabetes can cause damage to the eye structure, the blind diabetes patients cannot undergo eye operation.
As for now, retinal damage cannot be replaced by transplant treatment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the vision loss is indeed one of the symptoms that can happen to diabetes patients. Early detection to the symptoms can be treated with suitable treatment.
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Author : Dr Mushiawati Mustapha, Dr Aida Zairani Mohd Zahidin
