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DIABETES AND YOUR EYES: Diabetes accounts for almost 25% of all blindness in the western world. As a general rule the younger you are when the disease develops, especially if you need insulin to control the disease, the greater the chance you have that your eyes will be affected. However, all types of Diabetes or "sugar disease" can affect your eyes. The good news is that the effects of diabetes on your eyes can be treated and blindness prevented if diagnosed early enough.     Diabetes may affect the eyes in one or all of the following ways:  1: Cataract formation - this means opacification of the lens of the eye and will cause a gradual decrease in vision.  2: Refractive changes - This means that your spectacles suddenly become inadequate because your lens is continuously changing shape during the day, and its refractive power changes as your blood sugar fluctuates. It can either make you more near- or far-sighted.  3: Paralysis of the eye muscles - You may suddenly develop a squint due to involvement of the nerves supplying one of the eye muscles. This is more common in older patients and may cause double vision.   4: Inflammation in the eye. - Diabetics are more susceptible to infections, and this applies to the eye too.  5: Diabetic retinopathy is the involvement of the nerve layer inside the eye. It is the most serious eye complication of Diabetes. In the early stages it is called background diabetic retinopathy when there are small hemorrhages and fatty deposits in the retina. In the late stages it is called proliferative diabetic retinopathy when new blood vessels grow uncontrolled in the retina. It can cause sudden hemorrhage in the eye with blind spots, and it can cause destruction and detachment of the retina with permanent blindness. This can be prevented by early diagnosis and treatment.  6: Other consequences include damage to the nerve of the eye and increased intra-ocular pressure or glaucoma.  It is most important that all diabetics be examined by an eye-specialist at least once a year.  By picking-up eye involvement early, serious complications can be prevented with specific methods of treatment.  The cataract can be removed, and with the implantation of a lens, normal vision restored.  Diabetic retinopathy can be treated with a laser and blindness prevented.  If you already have diabetic changes in your retina, you should consult your ophthalmologist more often, probably at three to six monthly intervals, depending on the degree of involvement.   It is, however, very important that your diabetes be well controlled with a team effort involving your family doctor, your eye specialist, diabetic specialist and dietician and others if needed.  Prevention is still the best treatment.   By controlling your diabetes well and having a regular eye examination with eye treatment when necessary, you are giving yourself the greatest chance of leading a normal life with normal vision.

   If you have any further questions regarding diabetes and your eyes, please consult your eye specialist.