Four steps to prevent diabetic blindness

So far, we’ve talked a fair bit about some of the underlying barriers to getting the care you need. You may be saying, “Okay, I get it. I’ll do what I need to do, but what exactly are the actions I need to take?” It’s fairly simple—not necessarily easy, but simple. Four steps can greatly increase your chances of preserving your vision in diabetes. Any one of these can help tremendously, but the four together than have a huge impact on your ability to see throughout your life. The first two are the easy ones:

1. Get an eye exam every year. The eye exam is the starting point of finding problems and treating them before they become disasters. Do this now. Get up and make an appointment or visit your eye doctor.

2. Get the eye treatment that’s recommended. Finding the problem is not enough. Hopefully your diabetic eye disease will never reach the point that it needs treatment, but chances are that at some point, you will need some sort of treatment for diabetic eye disease. Follow the treatment recommendations that your doctor makes. Take the time to understand what is being recommended and why. Think through the decision with a clear mind that isn’t clouded by fear, and get the recommended treatment. Remember that the chances of going blind without the treatment are higher.

3. Control your blood sugar. High blood sugar is the culprit that causes diabetic eye disease. If you have high blood pressure, control this also. Controlling your blood sugar and hypertension can be challenging, and it is something you will work have to pay careful attention to for all your life. A normal blood sugar is the cornerstone of minimizing all the complications of diabetes.

4. Stop smoking. I tell my patients that diabetes damages blood vessels, and smoking damages blood vessels. Either one by itself is bad, but together, diabetes and smoking cause disasters. Smoking is extremely difficult to stop. Programs are available to help you. This is the toughest one, but if you can stop smoking, or even cut down, it will make a significant improvement in out overall health.

I have found that my patients who get an eye exam every year, who get treatment when it is needed, who control their blood sugar and who stop smoking have taken the major steps in preventing diabetic blindness.

[I](David Khorram, MD is a board certified ophthalmologist and director of Marianas Eye Institute and the author of the book, World Peace, a Blind Wife, and Gecko Tails. Comments and questions are welcome. Call 235-9090 or email him through www.MarianasEye.com, or leave comments at www.MarianasEye.blogspot.com. Copyright © 2008 David Khorram)[/I]