Blurry vision can be an early warning sign of diabetes.
It’s also a sign of advanced diabetic eye disease.
If blood sugar goes uncontrolled, diabetes causes progressive damage to structures in the eyes.
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The ongoing eye damage leads to diabetic eye diseases like retinopathy, cataracts, and glaucoma.
Though the damage is not reversible, many people can prevent it from developing.
High blood sugar directly affects your eyes.
It may cause temporary blurry vision by changing the lens or permanent vision problems by damaging the blood vessels.
When blood sugar is too high, the excess sugar in the fluid causes the lens to swell.
The swelling causes blurry vision.
As your blood sugar returns to healthy levels, the swelling goes down and your vision improves.
When you eat carbohydrates, blood sugar rises and may cause blurry vision.
As insulin restores normal blood sugar levels, your vision improves.
This is why an early sign of diabetes is blurry vision that comes and goes.
However, if blood sugar stays high over time, the lens converts the glucose into sorbitol.
As sorbitol collects in the lens, it affects cells and proteins.
These changes lead to cataracts and blurry vision that progressively worsens.
Blurry Vision Due to Blood Vessel Damage
High blood sugar damages small blood vessels in the retina.
The damaged retinal blood vessels swell and leak fluids.
In advanced stages, new but unhealthy blood vessels grow.
All these conditions cause permanent blurry vision.
Blurry Vision and Diabetes Medications
The medications prescribed to treat diabetes may temporarily cause blurry vision.
As medications affect blood sugar levels, your lens also changes.
This problem should disappear as soon as the medication stabilizes your blood sugar.
Blurry vision is a common feature, but other symptoms may also develop depending on the disease.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathyhas two stages.
This can damage the sensitive cells in the retina.
In advanced stages, the fluid buildup can pull the retina away from the wall, causing adetached retina.
If the disease progresses into the next stage (proliferative retinopathy), the retina grows new blood vessels.
These vessels are weak and can’t function properly.
Instead, they leak blood into the fluid inside the eye.
Minimal blood in the fluid causes floaters.
If the vessels bleed excessively, it blocks your vision.
The leakage can also scar the retina, which also affects your vision.
Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include:
Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes.
Diabetic Macular Edema
Diabeticmacular edemais a complication of retinopathy.
Uncontrolled diabetes is one such condition that can cause and/or accelerate glaucoma.
The vessels block openings that allow eye fluids to drain.
As a result, the fluids build up and increase eye pressure (intraocular pressure).
High intraocular pressure damages the optic nerve.
Cataracts
Cataractsare the clouding of the lens of the eyes that often occurs with age.
If there are signs of diabetic retinopathy, you will be advised to undergo certain tests and procedures.
This may involve anophthalmologist, a specialist in eye diseases.
However, you may also need medications.
You would also need to control your blood pressureand cholesterol, both of which contribute to diabetic eye diseases.
If not treated immediately, the detachment can progress, increasing the risk of permanent vision loss and blindness.
Of these, a further one-third have vision-threatening eye complications.
Most cases of diabetic eye disease can be prevented by managing your diabetes and controlling your blood sugar.
These steps help prevent eye disease.
pop in 2 diabetesdevelops gradually.
The primary treatment of diabetic eye disease is improved blood sugar control with medications and changes in lifestyle.
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