More than 37 million Americans suffer from diabetes. In this chronic condition, the body cannot use insulin efficiently, which means that it can't regulate its blood sugar levels. High blood sugar can damage many parts of the body, including the eyes. If you have diabetes, take note of the following three points about diabetes and vision. 

1. Diabetes Can Damage the Retina

High blood sugar can damage the blood vessels, especially the tiny, fragile blood vessels that nourish the eye's retina. The retina collects visual data from incoming light and feeds it to the optic nerves. In a condition called diabetic retinopathy, retinal blood vessels leak, causing swelling and damage that affects vision.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include blurred vision, vision loss, and blobs or streaks in your field of vision. If you experience these issues, your optometrist can check your retinas for signs of diabetic retinopathy and provide the necessary diabetic eye treatment, including drugs to manage blood vessel abnormalities.

2. Diabetes Can Raise Your Glaucoma Risk

The same mechanisms that produce diabetic retinopathy can also lead to a condition known as glaucoma. In glaucoma, the high fluid pressure inside the eye damages the optic nerve, preventing it from sending visual data to the brain. Some kinds of glaucoma cause gradual vision loss, while others can quickly lead to blindness.

Diabetes appears to raise the risk for glaucoma. Researchers think that the blood vessel damage may impair the eye's system for relieving excess fluid pressure. Elevated blood sugar may also trigger the overproduction of a certain protein that interferes with this drainage system. Fortunately, medications can often control glaucoma.

3. Diabetes Can Lead to Cataracts

When the normally clear lenses of your eyes develop a white, hazy film that blocks incoming light, you have cataracts. Cataracts commonly occur with age, but diabetes also appears to trigger their development. People over 65 with diabetes may have up to twice the cataract risk of those without diabetes.

If you experience blurred vision, reduced color perception, yellowing of vision, or strange halo-like patterns surrounding light sources, schedule an eye exam so your optometrist can check for cataracts. Although diabetes management may slow the progression of cataracts, you might eventually need lens replacement surgery.

If you struggle with diabetes, early intervention can help you save your eyesight. In addition to drug therapy for diabetic retinopathy, you may benefit from other diabetic eye treatment techniques, such as laser surgery. Even so, you must also work with your primary care physician to get your blood sugar under control.

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