Diabetics Are at Risk of Eye Complications- Ophthalmologist

 

Ume told newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday, that ``while the average person is required to get their eyes checked at least once a year, people with the disorder may be required to have more checkups.

“If we look in the eye and everything looks normal, then we ask them to come back, at least, once a year but that is at the minimum.”

He said that if the eye doctor noticed any problems he should follow up closely by asking the patient to come back sometimes as often as once a month.

Ume explained that this was because of the  link between diabetes and the eyes, which sometimes prompted people to get a diagnosis for the disorder.

 “I see this, sometimes people come to my office and say that their vision is fluctuating, they don’t realise that diabetes can actually affect how well they see.

“So, whenever their blood sugar is high, their vision may be very blurry but as the sugar normalises, the eyesight goes back to normal.

“When they come, we recommend that they do a blood sugar test to find out if they have diabetes or not,” he said.

Ume explained that apart from leading to a diagnosis, diabetes could be detrimental to the eyes and eye sight.

 “There is a term in Ophthalmology called diabetes retinopathy; it is a condition that can affect anybody who has a long history of the disorder,” he added.

He described diabetes retinopathy as the condition when the blood vessels in the eyes begin to bleed, filling the eye with blood and damaging the retina.

According to him, as blood vessels in the eyes are formed, they bleed and this may cause a person’s vision to blur or specks of blood to obstruct vision.

He advised people to take this seriously, ``even if it does not appear to be severe or goes away after a while.

 “In advanced countries, like the U.S. and Europe, complications from diabetes retinopathy are one of the most common reasons why people go blind,” the expert said.

 He explained that most people, who had suffered diabetes for up 10 years, were at risk of retinopathy but added that up to 90 per cent of new cases could be avoided.

 Ume said that research on the subject showed that proper treatment and monitoring of the eyes were the best methods of preserving the eyesight.

 The ophthalmologist said people with diabetes should check their eyes regularly and follow up with the doctor.

He also advised diabetics to closely monitor their blood sugar for the benefit of their eyes.

 Ume said treatment could only prevent the eyes from getting worse but not reverse any damage that had occurred.