Report From American Academy Of Ophthalmology
Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness among adults, and people with diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind than people without it. By detecting and treating diabetic retinopathy early through annual, dilated eye exams, people with diabetes can preserve their sight.
People with any type of diabetes can develop hyperglycemia, which is an excess of blood sugar, or serum glucose. Although glucose is a vital source of energy for the body’s cells, a chronic elevation of serum glucose causes damage throughout the body, including the small blood vessels in the eye.
Recent numbers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paint a desperate situation of where we are at, and where we are headed:
Every 17 seconds, someone is diagnosed with diabetes
Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to Stop Diabetes.
Here at Long Vision Center we take your eye health very seriously. If you are insulin-resistant, prediabetic, or have been diagnosed with diabetes it is extremely important to have a dilated eye exam at least once a year. The earlier diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed the better. Give our office a call to schedule an exam.