DIABETES AND YOUR EYES
Diabetes and Your Eyes
Diabetes is a nationwide problem and is considered the most expensive chronic disease in the United States. In the past 10 years, the number of people with diabetes has increased by almost 50 percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 100 million Americans are diabetic or pre-diabetic.
- Type 1- Previously known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, type 1 diabetes usually begins in childhood. It comprises only about five percent of all diabetes cases.
- Type 2- Also known as insulin-resistant diabetes or adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes is the most prevalent type and comprises 90-95 percent of all diabetes cases. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include family history of the disease, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and obesity.
- Prediabetic- A condition in which blood glucose levels are too high, but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Complications of Diabetes
If you have diabetes, you are at higher risk for diabetic eye disease, a group of eye conditions that affect diabetics. Some of the most common forms of diabetic eye disease include cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. All diabetic eye disease has the potential to cause significant vision loss and blindness.
Anyone can develop cataracts, but diabetics are 60 percent more likely to develop cataracts than non-diabetics. People with diabetes tend to get cataracts at a younger age, and their cataracts usually progress faster.
Glaucoma is a family of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve, which transmits visual images to the brain. Diabetics are 40 percent more likely to develop glaucoma than people without diabetes, and risk increases with age.
