Diabetes affects your body in many ways, and you might notice changes in your vision if you have the condition. Thankfully, understanding the common eye problems associated with diabetes will help you handle them as they arise. Review this eye care guide to protect your vision.

How Diabetes Affects Vision

High blood sugar pulls the body’s water to your eyes’ lenses. As they swell with moisture, your vision becomes blurry. This short-term effect will resolve after around six hours when the blood sugar levels return to normal.

If pressure can’t drain out of the eye due to long-term high blood pressure, you may develop glaucoma. This occurs when the pressure damages nerves and blood vessels in the eye, resulting in vision loss.

A strong link has also been found between diabetes and cataracts. Diabetics tend to experience this eye condition earlier than other patients, and the disease causes cataracts to worsen faster than usual. This eye disease causes the lens to become cloudy, causing blurred vision and glare.

How to Protect Your Eyes

Controlling your blood sugar levels will minimize the disease’s effect on your eyes. A doctor can recommend the best method of doing so based on your unique needs.

For example, you can take insulin shots or remove sugar from your diet. Regularly monitoring blood sugar allows you to detect an increase in levels before it gets bad enough to cause any noticeable symptoms in the eyes.

You should also see an eye doctor at least once a year for an exam. During this exam, they will test your vision, look for glaucoma, and catch any forming cataracts. By finding these issues early, they may be able to adjust your eye care to prevent permanent damage. 

Lieblong Eye Clinic in Russellville, AR, will help you manage your eye care in response to a diabetes diagnosis. Dr. Jim Lieblong has offered a full range of eye health services since 1979, combining his experience with the latest technology in the business for the highest standard of care. The practice will help you fight eye diseases like glaucoma and cataracts. See their full list of services online, or call (479) 968-2020 to schedule an exam.