Australia’s got a sweet challenge: Around 1 million Australians are dealing with diabetes! This condition means your body has a tough time keeping blood sugar levels in check.
Normally, a special helper in your body called insulin helps take the glucose (a type of sugar) from your blood into your cells to give you energy or store it for later use.
If you have diabetes, either your body doesn’t make enough insulin, or the insulin doesn’t work as well as it should. This means the sugar stays in your blood, which isn’t good for your body. This has consequences for your immediate, and long-term quality of life.
If you’ve had a care plan set up by your doctor, you’ll notice it involves seeing your optometrist regularly. It’s because diabetes can massively affect your eye health.
Here are some ways in which your eye can be affected by diabetes, and what we look for during your regular check ups:
Cornea Care
Your cornea is the clear shield at the front of your eye, handling two-thirds of the focusing power, to help you see clearly. In simple terms, it acts like a window that lets in light.
It’s packed with tiny, sensitive nerves, which is why scratching it feels like a big pain. It just doesn’t end there, diabetes can slow down healing because high blood sugar affects repair processes and damages these nerves.
This can lead to dry eyes, infections, pesky sores (ulcers), and even fluid build-up (edema) in the cornea, making your vision look a bit like a blurry photo.
Fluctuating vision
When you have diabetes, your blood sugar levels can fluctuate quickly, which affects the lens in your eye, which helps you see clearly, just like the lens of a camera.
High blood sugar can make the lens swell, while low blood sugar can cause it to shrink back, leaving your vision a bit blurry as your eyes adjust. This is why people with diabetes might see their vision change frequently.
Since it’s tough to get the right spectacles when your vision is always changing, it’s best to check your prescription only after your blood sugar levels have been stable for a month.
Retinal Health
Heads up! Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause for vision loss and blindness in working-age Australians. It’s like diabetes throwing a wrench into the delicate workings of your retina or the light-detecting tissue.
This damage messes with the blood vessels, leading to bleedings and fluid buildup at the back of your eye. You might not notice anything at first, but problems can sneak up on you if left unchecked. We use a special scan called Ocular Coherence Tomography to assess for complications that a basic eye check might miss.
Our skilled Eyes&Vision optometrist will guide you on how often you should visit for check-ups. If you’re overdue for an appointment or notice any changes in your vision, give us a call and book your appointment today to keep your vision as healthy as possible.
