» Welcome to Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic
Diabetic
Patients at Higher Risk
for Vision
Loss And Eye Disease
Diabetes
Increases Risk of
Retinopathy, Cataracts and Glaucoma
Today, diabetes affects more
than 23 million Americans, with that number projected to more than
double by 2050. And, every year, Americans spend $174 billion
on direct and indirect medical costs on the disease, according to the
American Diabetes Association. Diabetics are at a higher risk
of complications such as dental disease, amputations and vision loss.
In fact, nearly half of all
diabetics have some form of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy
occurs when blood vessels to the retina become blocked or leak fluid or
blood. There are up to 24,000 new cases of blindness each year, making
diabetes the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74
years of age.
Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic
has declared November as Diabetic Eye Disease Month in an effort to
educate the public on how diabetes can affect vision. The
group has a dedicated Web site --
www.diabetes-sight.org
-- which provides free information to patients and healthcare
professionals on diabetic eye diseases, risk factors, treatment options
and Medicare benefits. The Web site also features a
simulation on the effects of diabetic retinopathy on vision.
“Diabetes is a very serious
problem in our country and more adults and children are diagnosed every
year,” said Tim Gresham, President and CEO of Prevent Blindness
Mid-Atlantic. “We can try and minimize the damage it can
cause to our eyes by getting an eye exam and beginning treatment
immediately.”
In addition to diabetic
retinopathy, diabetic patients are also at higher risk for:
- Cataracts- a clouding of the eye's lens, which
blocks or changes the passage of light into the eye.
- Glaucoma- an increase in fluid pressure inside
the eye that leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision.
- Macular edema- a swelling of the retina, where
blurred vision occurs in the middle or just to the side of the central
visual field.
- Retinal detachment- one of the most common
causes of blindness in diabetes, occurs when growing blood vessels pull
the retina from the back of the eye.
Many diabetics, or those who
are not yet aware that they have the disease, will have no visual
symptoms in the early stages of retinopathy. Prevent
Blindness Mid-Atlantic recommends that adults receive a dilated eye
exam every two years and diabetic patients receive an eye exam every
year in order to save vision.
According to Prevent Blindness
Mid-Atlantic, symptoms of diabetic eye disease may include:
- Blurry or clouded vision
- Floaters or dark spots in vision
- Straight lines that do not appear straight
(such as flag poles, street lights, etc.)
- Difficulty seeing in dim light
- Tunnel vision
For more information on
diabetic eye disease, please call Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic at
(888) 790-2020.
» What You Might Not Know...
About Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic
Prevent Blindness Mid-Atlantic
is the only local volunteer-based nonprofit organization whose sole
mission is to preserve sight and prevent blindness. The primary means
of accomplishing our mission since 1957 is through vision screenings
for both children and adults, providing support groups for seniors, and
supplying public and professional education and information. For more
information, or to contribute to the sight-saving fund, call toll-free,
(888) 790-2020, ext. "0." We also gratefully accept online
donations here at this web site!
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