Can diabetes cause blindness?

Diabetes is a well-known common disease, but diabetes not only brings troubles such as extra attention to and control of blood sugar in daily life, but also may cause many complications. Among them, diabetic retinopathy is a common diabetic eye complication, which can cause blindness in severe cases and should not be taken lightly.

What is diabetic retinopathy ?

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a fundus disease caused by long-term higher-than-normal blood sugar levels in the human body. It is caused by ischemic and proliferative changes in the retina during the course of diabetes, which leads to changes in retinal structure and function.

What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy?

The symptoms of diabetic retinopathy vary with the course of the disease. In the early stages, patients may experience decreased vision, difficulty seeing distant objects, and dark shadows in front of their eyes. In the late stages, vision may rapidly decrease, and even neovascular glaucoma may occur, causing eye pain and headaches, which may eventually lead to blindness.

How to prevent diabetic retinopathy?

1. Regular screening

Diabetic patients should have regular eye examinations and monitor the condition of their fundus.

2. Control blood sugar

The main principle of preventing diabetic retinopathy is to control blood sugar, improve lifestyle, adhere to diabetic diet, exercise appropriately, and monitor blood sugar levels regularly. Patients who effectively control blood sugar for a long time will greatly reduce the chance of developing retinopathy.

3. Good living habits

Try to eat a light and nutritious diet, avoid foods high in fat and sugar, and eat less spicy foods; then make sure to rest, do not use your eyes for long periods of time, and pay attention to eye hygiene; try to quit habits such as smoking.

Tianjin University Aier Eye Hospital kindly reminds you that the longer the course of diabetes, the worse the blood sugar control, and the greater the chance of developing diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic patients must pay attention to eye problems and prevent, detect and treat them early.