Say the word “diabetes” and the conversation usually turns to things like diet, stories of diabetes specialist visits, and blood sugar monitoring devices.
Say the word “diabetes” and the conversation usually turns to things like dietary restrictions, counting carbs, tales of diabetes specialist visits, and the latest blood sugar monitoring devices. What is rarely mentioned is how diabetes can affect eye health. In fact, there are a lot of myths about how diabetes affects your vision.
To counter these myths, and empower people living with diabetes to take better care of their health and vision, Network 18 in association with Novartis has launched the ‘Eye Suraksha’ – India Against Diabetes initiative. As part of the initiative, Network18 will broadcast roundtable discussions with experts in the medical field, as well as publish lecturer videos and articles that add to public knowledge about diabetes, its effects on vision, and diabetic retinopathy, there is a scary complication. Occurs in about half of the population of people with diabetes1.
So let’s get our facts straight.
Myth 1: If I can see, my eyes are healthy.
Clear vision is important, but it does not guarantee that your eyes are healthy. Many conditions cause few or no symptoms in the early stages.
Glaucoma is often called the silent thief of vision because there are no symptoms to warn you. Glaucoma damages a nerve in the back of your eye called the optic nerve, which is connected to the brain. With glaucoma, there is no cure, so it is important that you catch it early and start treatment. Without treatment, glaucoma can lead to blindness.
A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye. Cataracts take many years to develop and may not affect vision until they mature. Once the disease progresses, it requires surgical intervention.
Diabetic retinopathy is, by far, the most common disorder related to diabetes. In diabetic retinopathy, the blood vessels supplying the eye (especially the retina) become blocked, or leak, or burst. Diabetic retinopathy is asymptomatic in the early stages, but as the condition progresses, it can cause reading difficulties that are not relieved by changes in glasses. If not caught in time, it can lead to permanent vision loss.
Myth 2: The risk of eye problems is not that high in people with diabetes
Numbers don’t lie. Worldwide, diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in the working-age population. In India, around 57 million people with diabetes mellitus will have retinopathy by the year 2025.
Positive thinking is always an asset, but wishful thinking can have the opposite effect. Diabetic retinopathy is a serious and common complication of diabetes, and the longer you have had diabetes, the higher your risk.
Myth 3: Diabetic retinopathy only affects people with type 1 diabetes.
While anyone with diabetes can get diabetic eye disease, it does not discriminate between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It can also affect someone with gestational diabetes, which occurs during pregnancy. During the first two decades of illness, almost all patients with type 1 diabetes and 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes develop retinopathy.
Getting your eyes checked regularly can help your doctor detect and treat vision complications from diabetes early.
Myth 4: I have just been diagnosed with diabetes, so I don’t need an eye exam yet.
While it is true that the risk of diabetic retinopathy increases with the time you have had diabetes, this is a statistic. Individual risks work differently. Everyone’s body is different, and just because the risk of developing something is higher in the overall population, it doesn’t mean that your risk individually isn’t higher. Or that you won’t contract it.
Yes, vision-threatening retinopathy is rare in patients with type 1 diabetes in the first 3-5 years of diabetes or before puberty. During the next two decades, almost all type 1 diabetics develop retinopathy.
However, 21% of patients with type 2 diabetes have retinopathy at the time of their first diagnosis of diabetes!
Myth 5: Diabetic retinopathy always causes blindness.
No, not if it is caught early. The sooner your doctor diagnoses you, the better your prognosis. Diabetic retinopathy is a progressive disease, which means that the sooner you catch it, and the better you manage it, the better your chances of stopping it in its tracks.
Based on an analysis of 35 studies conducted around the world between 1980 and 2008, the overall prevalence of any diabetic retinopathy among people with diabetes who used retinal images was estimated to be 35%, with only 12% being diabetic, retinopathy was present.
So, get your yearly eye exam (from your doctor, not your eyeglass store!), and manage your blood sugar.
Myth 6: If I have something seriously wrong with my eyes, I’ll know right away.
As with many types of eye disorders, patients may not notice symptoms during their earliest—most treatable—stages. For example, diabetic retinopathy is completely asymptomatic until severe.
That’s right: no pain. No vision changes. Absolutely no clue. In fact, according to Dr Manisha Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Retina Society of India, one of the early symptoms is a persistent difficulty in reading that does not go away even with a change of glasses. This is an early sign that should not be taken lightly. If ignored, symptoms can escalate to clouds of black or red spots in the field of vision or even a sudden blackout due to bleeding in the eye.
Fortunately, there are eye tests that can detect this problem before symptoms are noticed. A painless dilated eye exam, in which your eye doctor uses eye drops to dilate the pupils so they can see the back of the eye (where the retina is).
Something this simple can save your eyesight. And a little awareness goes a long way in combating preventable vision loss.
The best way to fight any disease is to increase your knowledge about it. Take control of your health and your vision. Especially if you or your loved ones are diagnosed with diabetes, learn about diabetic retinopathy by following News18.com for more updates on Netra Suraksha initiatives. Also, do an online diabetic retinopathy self check-up to assess whether you need to see your doctor.
The best thing you can do to reduce your personal risk is to carefully follow the diabetes management plan outlined by your doctor. The simplest recommendation is to have your eyes checked for diabetic retinopathy once a year – a simple, easy, painless test that can have a hugely positive impact on you and your family’s quality of life. Don’t hesitate, and don’t consider yourself invincible.
References:
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/diabetes-in-india[U1] 10 Dec, 2021.
- https://www.nei.nih.gov/about/news-and-events/news/glaucoma-silent-thief-begins-tell-its-secrets 17 Dec, 2021
- https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/cataracts 17 Dec, 2021
- https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/diabetic-retinopathy 10 Dec, 2021
- Balasubramaniyan N, Ganesh KS, Ramesh BK, Subitha L. Awareness and practices on eye effects among people with diabetes in rural Tamil Nadu, India. Afri Health Sci. 2016;16(1): 210-217.
- https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/27/suppl_1/s84 17, Dec 2021
- https://youtu.be/nmMBudzi4zc 29 Dec, 2021
