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High blood sugar can put pressure on your eyes and damage their tiny blood vessels. This can harm your eyesight and even lead to blindness.
Some of conditions related to diabetes are retinopathy, cataracts, and glaucoma. Since you won’t likely notice problems in the early stages of these conditions, it is important to have your eyes checked regularly.
You may be able to prevent these problems by following these tips.
Get regular eye exams
- Schedule a dilated eye exam or retinal screening.
- The screening may include a retinal exam and photo.
Keep your blood sugar under control
- Eat a variety of healthy foods.
- Exercise regularly.
- Take your medicines as prescribed.
- Test your blood sugar often.
Manage your blood pressure
- Lose weight (if needed)
- Exercise regularly.
- Reduce salt in your diet.
Quit tobacco
- Body tissue can’t thrive without strong blood flow. One of the effects of diabetes is the narrowing of blood vessels, and tobacco only makes that worse. Your eyes are especially at risk of very serious problems.
- If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about classes and other resources.
Watch for changes in your eye health
Talk to your care team if you notice any changes in how you see, including:
- Seeing little black lines or spots that don’t go away
- Seeing red spots or a red fog
- A sudden change in how clearly you see
- Taking longer than usual to adjust to darkness