If you notice that you have blurry vision, please ask your optometrist to check your eyesight but DON’T run out and buy a new pair of glasses first. You could blame it on your age, or the fact that you’re staring at a screen all day for work, or even because it’s dark, but it could be that your blood sugar is high and you are on your way to developing type 2 diabetes.
Raised blood sugar can cause the lens of the eyes to swell, which can affect your vision, especially during the evening. In order to correct this blurred vision you need to control your blood sugar.
You may also get blurred vision if your doctor started you on insulin treatment. This is due to shifting fluids, but it generally resolves after a few weeks.
Longer-term causes of blurry vision can include diabetic retinopathy, the medical term for retinal disorders caused by diabetes, for example proliferative retinopathy.
Proliferative retinopathy is when blood vessels leak into the center of your eye. Besides blurry vision, you may also experience spots or floaters or trouble with night vision.
You might also have a blurry vision if you’re developing cataracts. People with diabetes tend to develop cataracts at a younger age than other adults. Cataracts cause the lens of your eyes to become cloudy.
Other symptoms include:
- faded colors
- clouded or blurry vision
- double vision, usually in just one eye
- sensitivity to light
- glare or halos around lights
- vision that doesn’t improve with new glasses or a prescription that must be changed often
Proliferative retinopathy is when blood vessels leak into the center of your eye. Besides blurry vision, you may also experience spots or floaters or trouble with night vision.
You might also have a blurry vision if you’re developing cataracts. People with diabetes tend to develop cataracts at a younger age than other adults. Cataracts cause the lens of your eyes to become cloudy.
Other symptoms include:
- faded colors
- clouded or blurry vision
- double vision, usually in just one eye
- sensitivity to light
- glare or halos around lights
- vision that doesn’t improve with new glasses or a prescription that must be changed often
Macular Oedema
The macula is the centre of the retina, and it’s the part of the eye that gives you sharp central vision.
Macular oedema is when the macula swells due to leaking fluid. There are some other more dramatic symptoms like wavy vision and colour changes. Diabetic macular oedema, or DME, stems from diabetic retinopathy and usually affects both eyes.
The National Eye Institute estimates that around 7.7 million Americans have diabetic retinopathy, and of those, nearly one in 10 have DME.
Hyperglycaemia
Hyperglycaemia results from glucose building up in the blood because the body has become resistant to the normal action of insulin. In other words, the sugar overwhelms insulin’s ability to control it.
Besides blurred vision, other symptoms of hyperglycaemia include:
headache
fatigue
increased thirst and urination
Managing your glucose levels to avoid hyperglycaemia is vital because, over time, poor blood sugar control can lead to more problems with sight and potentially increase the risk of blindness
If you have diabetes, you’re at risk of developing a variety of eye problems. It’s essential to have regular check-ups and eye exams which should include a comprehensive eye exam with dilation of the pupils every year.