Diabetes

The symptoms of diabetes are usually

• Tiredness and fatigue
• Constant thirst
• Passing large quantities of urine (even at night)
• Poor vision
• Frequent infections, especially of the skin

Although the disease is not curable the complications and end organ damage can be prevented with early diagnosis, appropriate treatment and diet.

Diabetes can affect the eye in three ways

• Unstable refraction:
As the sugar level in the blood are raised, so does the sugar content of the lens get higher. This alters the power of the lens and so makes the vision blurred. As the sugar levels come down so the lens gets thinner and the power again changes and the vision will settle.
• Cataracts:
Diabetics tend to develop their cataracts at an earlier age.


• Retinal damage:
This is the most serious complication as damage to the nerves (or retina) will result in vision loss which is not reversible. This situation is preventable , and is easily treated with laser to the back of the eye once there are early signs of new blood vessel growth. It is therefore important to have regular check ups to make sure that there are no diabetic changes at the back of the eye.

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Glaucoma

This is a disease of the eye in which the natural pressure of the eye becomes too elevated, and causes damage to the light receptor cells of the eye, causing vision loss.

The eye needs to maintain a constant pressure (like a balloon) otherwise it would collapse and would not be able to see. It does this by continuously making and draining fluid. In glaucoma the fluid is inadequately drained, thus resulting in a build up of pressure. This raised pressure adversely affects the retina (or nerve cells) of the eye.

What are the symptoms?

Generally there are no symptoms. The pressure creeps up very slowly and the eye accommodates the new higher pressure. There should be no associated head ache.

As there are no symptoms it is very important to have your eyes checked every 2-3 years if you have any of the risk factors.

The 3 parameteres which need to be checked are:

• intra-ocular pressure
• optic nerve
• visual fields

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