It is a well-known fact that high blood sugar levels cause an increased risk of eye problems in diabetes, but what exactly causes diabetic blurred vision? Diabetic blurred vision is normally just a temporary eye problem that develops rapidly in diabetes. It is caused by your blood sugar levels being too high.
In diabetes, high blood sugar levels cause the lens of the eye to swell. This changes your ability to see correctly. When blood sugar levels return to normal, the symptoms don’t go away automatically. It can take up to three months for your vision to completely return to normal (WebMd.com, 2012). Diabetic blurred vision is often one of the first telling signs that a person has diabetes.
You must be careful in self-diagnosing the problem, however. Diabetic blurred vision can sometimes be a symptom of a more serious diabetic eye problem such as cataracts, glaucoma, and retinopathy. If you are having diabetic blurred vision, it may be best to see your optometrist or visit with your doctor to be sure that it is only high blood sugar levels that have caused this vision problem.
Eye Disorders and Diabetes
People with diabetes have a higher risk of blindness than those without the disease. However, most people with diabetes only have minor eye disorders, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). With regular checkups you can keep these eye conditions minor, and if a major problem develops there are many treatment options available if the problem is caught early on. The eye disorders which most commonly effect diabetics are:
Glaucoma – Diabetics are 40% more likely to suffer from glaucoma than people without the disease. The longer that you have diabetes, the more likely you are to develop this eye condition. Glaucoma occurs when pressure builds up in the eye. This pressure pinches the blood vessels that carry blood to the retina and optic nerve. Gradually this causes vision loss.
Cataracts –People with diabetes are 60% more likely to get cataracts than those without diabetes. Also, people with diabetes tend to get cataracts much earlier than most people would. In cataracts, the eye’s clear lens clouds up. This causes light to be blocked from entering your eye, which interferes with vision greatly. Sometimes a new lens must be transplanted to fix this problem.
Retinopathy – There are two types of retinopathy: non-proliferative and proliferative. Non-proliferative retinopathy is the most common form in diabetes. This is where capillaries in the back of the eye balloon and form pouches. As more and more blood vessels are blocked the retinopathy becomes more severe.
Proliferative Retinopathy – As retinopathy progresses it eventually may become proliferative retinopathy. This is where the blood vessels of the eye become so damaged that they close off. New blood vessels form, but they are so weak that they leak blood, which blocks vision. These new blood vessels also cause scar tissue that distorts the retina or pull it out of place (Diabetes.org, 2012).
These eye conditions do not normally show any symptoms until it is too late. Don’t wait until you have diabetic blurred vision or other symptoms before you seek treatment. As a diabetic you should always make it a priority to have eye exams performed readily.
