Tag Archives: Diabetes

Posted on by

November is Diabetes Awareness Month

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy

As eye doctors, we see the effects of diabetes in the eye on a daily basis.   The most common complication we see is diabetic retinopathy.   With diabetic retinopathy, the retinal blood vessels leak blood, other fluids or show signs of oxygen deprivation, all of which can cause damage to the retina and result in vision loss.   As a result of diabetes, we also see other ocular complications such as prescription changes, cataracts and glaucoma.

Here are couple of facts about diabetes:

  • Nearly 24 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes.
  • Another 57 million Americans have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
  • One out of every 3 children (and 1 in 2 minority children) born in the United States today will face a future with diabetes if current trends continue.
  • People with diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind than are people without diabetes.
  • Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults.
  • Almost half of all people with diabetes will develop some degree of diabetic eye disease.

Things to remember:

  • Diabetic eye disease often has no symptoms.
  • Early detection and timely treatment of diabetic eye disese can reduce your risk of vision loss and blindness.
  • All people with diabetes should have an eye exam at least once a year.
Did you like this? Mahalo for Sharing:
Posted on by

Tears of Joy for Diabetics


If you know a diabetic, then you are aware that they are constantly checking their blood sugar levels through a repeated ritual of pin-pricks. A short article from The Institue of NanoTechnology suggests that in the future, diabetics may be able to monitor their blood glucose levels via their contact lenses.  The glucose sensing nano-particles in the contact lens would change color alerting the wearer to rising or lowering glucose levels.  The wearer could then make the appropriate adjustments to his or her blood sugar, all without having to carry around (and use) devices for drawing and analyzing blood.

Tears of Joy for Diabetics | IoN News

Note:
These technologies have other potential applications beyond biomedical devices, including food packaging. Nano-composite films can prevent food spoilage by preventing oxygen, carbon dioxide and moisture from reaching fresh meats and other foods, or by measuring pathogenic contamination,

Did you like this? Mahalo for Sharing:
Posted on by

November: National Diabetes Eye Disease Month.

  • There are approximately 29 million Americans age 20 and older that have diabetes and almost one third of those are at risk for vision loss because they do not know they have the disease.
  • High blood sugar levels can weaken blood vessels in the retina causing them to leak blood or fluid. This causes the retina to swell and can lead to vision loss. Blood sugar fluctuations can also promote growth of new, fragile blood vessels on the retina, which can break easily.
  • The longer a person has diabetes, the greater the risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. However, diabetic retinopathy does not only affect people who have had diabetes for many years, it can also appear within the first year or two after the onset of the disease. For some people, diabetic retinopathy is one of the first signs of the disease.
  • So, as part of November’s Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month, I am urging those with diabetes to get a dilated eye exam.
Did you like this? Mahalo for Sharing: