Do you have diabetes? Take care of your eyesight! (Diabetic Retinopathy)

If you have diabetes, this is a time to think about your eyes. We often think of diabetes as just controlling blood sugar. But in fact, it can also secretly and slowly affect our eyesight. That silent enemy, the damage to the eyes caused by diabetes, is what we are going to talk about today.

What is diabetic retinopathy, the damage to the eyes caused by diabetes?

Simply put, this is a long-term complication of diabetes. When our blood sugar levels are high for a long time, it damages the tiny blood vessels inside our eyes that supply them with nutrients and oxygen. The main screen-like part of our eyes that helps us see is the retina, or as doctors call it, the ``retina'' . This damage mainly occurs to the blood vessels that supply blood to the ``retina''. This condition usually affects both eyes at the same time.

This condition, `Diabetic Retinopathy`, can lead to increased pressure inside the eye, which can lead to other serious conditions like `(glaucoma).` Therefore, it is very important to be aware of this.

How serious can this be?

This is where we should be afraid. If not treated properly , vision can gradually deteriorate and even lead to irreversible blindness. In fact, this condition, `Diabetic Retinopathy`, is the leading cause of blindness in people between the ages of 20 and 60.

But don't worry. The good news is that if detected early, blindness can be completely prevented. While many people with diabetes experience some degree of vision loss, less than 5% of people will experience severe vision loss. That's why early detection and action are key.

Who is more at risk?

The longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to develop this condition called `retinopathy.` This condition can occur in both `Type 1` and `Type 2` diabetes.

Think about it this way. A person with `Type 1` diabetes may not start to notice these changes in their eyes until about 5 years after they are diagnosed with `Type 2` diabetes. However, sometimes when `Type 2` diabetes is first diagnosed, some damage to the eyes may have already occurred. This is because `Type 2` diabetes can be present in our bodies for a long time without any symptoms.

According to statistics, within 15 years of developing diabetes, 98% of Type 1 patients and 78% of Type 2 patients have some degree of damage to their eyes. That shows how common this condition is.

What are the symptoms of this? How do you recognize it?

Here's the most important and dangerous thing. `Diabetic Retinopathy` is a disease that often comes on silently, without any symptoms. If you start to feel any of the following symptoms, it could be that your eyes are seriously damaged and may even be irreversible. So be aware of these signs.

So what do we do? Prevention and management

Well, there are several things we can do to prevent and manage this.

The most important thing: control

The most important thing is to control your blood sugar levels. Follow your doctor's instructions and take the medications as prescribed. Also, controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol levels is very important to prevent this damage.

A must-do eye exam

A person with diabetes should definitely have their eyes examined by an ophthalmologist at least once a year. This is called a 'Dilated Eye Exam'. In this, eye drops are applied to the eye to enlarge the black iris of the eye, allowing the doctor to examine even the smallest blood vessels in the retina.

Lifestyle changes

If you smoke, quitting immediately, eating a healthy diet, and exercising daily can all help reduce this risk. These things are just as important for controlling diabetes as they are for eye health. If you do develop symptoms, there are very effective treatments available today, such as laser treatment. So don't panic, see your doctor as soon as possible.