Why Are Diabetics At A Higher Risk Of Glaucoma?
Many people will develop glaucoma in their lives, but like most illnesses and diseases, your risk of developing it goes up if you have certain secondary conditions. In this case, that secondary condition is diabetes.
Diabetes can cause problems throughout the body, but one of the things it can do is increase your risk of glaucoma. If you've been diagnosed with diabetes or it runs in your family, you should know what you can about this connection so that you can help to protect your vision. Here's what you should know.
What Glaucoma Is
Glaucoma, at its most basic, is a disease where the nerves of the eyes are damaged. Like in the rest of the body, these nerves are responsible for sending signals to the brain that are generated by the eyes and vice versa. This essentially allows the image that's received and transformed by your eyes letting in light to travel to your brain, like a wired computer connection.
When these nerves are damaged, the image doesn't travel as well as it would with intact and healthy nerves. If left untreated, the nerves can become so damaged that one can ultimately become completely blind.
The Diabetes Connection
But what's the connection between diabetes and this condition? Typically, it's two-fold. The first and biggest problem is that diabetes typically leads to high blood pressure. This may not seem like a problem for your eyes, but the nerve damage caused in glaucoma is because there's an excess of pressure in the eyes. High blood pressure can damage one's vision and in time, can have an impact on the nerves, too, leading to or worsening glaucoma.
In addition, diabetes frequently increases inflammation in the body overall, which can inhibit the functionality of nerves by causing the tissue around them to swell. This includes the nerves of the eyes.
Managing Your Risk
While there's no absolute cure for glaucoma, there are things that you can do to reduce your risk if you don't have it already and to improve your prognosis if you already do.
For starters, work on controlling your diabetes as well as you can. You want to keep your blood sugar in a healthy range at all times. Changing your diet can not only help you to accomplish this but can also provide your body with the nutrients it needs to keep inflammation to a minimum and even help control blood pressure.
Furthermore, make an appointment with an eye doctor. They're the only ones who have the expertise, training and equipment necessary to take a deep long look at the inside and outside of your eyes to determine if damage is being done. They can prescribe medication to help control the impact of glaucoma and slow its progression, which can provide you with better vision for a longer period of time.
Visit a clinic like Northwest Ophthalmology near you to learn more.