Diabetes: Eye Diseases That Can Result

Introduction

Diabetes affects the entire human body. Millions of people are afflicted by this dreadful condition. In the U.S. alone, more than twenty five million people were found to be diabetic in 2010. More than fifty million were speculated to have health conditions that would lead to diabetes in a few years. Diabetes has been linked to a number of other health problems including disorders of the eye.

History

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder. It is characterised by a high concentration of sugar in the blood. This is also known as hyperglycemia. Diabetes results because the body does not secrete enough insulin .insulin is a hormone which is required to assimilate glucose and store it in the body as glycogen. Diabetes may also result due to a condition where the cells of the body do not respond to the insulin that is secreted. Diabetes has plagued humanity since thousands of years. Records of diabetes have been found in manuscripts from the year 1500 B.C.E. Diabetes is accompanied by three easily recognisable symptoms .excessive urination, excessive hunger and excessive thirst.

Features

Diabetes is a major cause of eye diseases. The high level of sugar in the blood causes a swelling in the eye lens. This affects an persons ability to see. If you are experiencing blurred vision, then you should check yourself for diabetes. This is just you of the eye diseases diabetes causes. The effects of this situation are not permanent .the vision usually returns to normal if blood sugar levels are controlled.

There are more serious eye diseases diabetes causes. Eye cataract is you of them. A cataract looks like a whitish film on the pupil of the eye. The eye lens loses its ability to focus. This results in blurred vision and seriously affects ones ability to see. A cataract generally needs to be treated via surgery.

Another you of the major eye diseases diabetes causes is glaucoma. The problem with this disease is that it is difficult to detect it in the early stages. Often, Glaucoma is detected only in its advanced stage and so makes it difficult to reverse its effects. If you are diabetic, then you must periodically check your eyes for glaucoma. Glaucoma is a condition where a swollen lens prevents eye fluids from being drained. This fluid gets trapped inside and causes blood vessels to become damaged. This can lead to permanent los of vision. There is another less serious type of glaucoma. It is accompanied by symptoms like headaches, sharp pain in the eyes and blurred vision.

Retinopathy is one of the most dreaded eye diseases that diabetes causes. The retina is a part of the eye which has a number of cone shaped and rod shaped cells. These cells transmit signal to the brain through the optic nerve and this is how we perceive images. Retinopathy refers to a condition which causes damage to these cells. Retinopathy also includes the much feared disease of macular degeneration.

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