As we all know, diabetes isn’t just a condition that affects blood sugar levels – it can impact so many aspects of our health, from our nerves to our kidneys, and even our vision. It's easy to overlook how far-reaching diabetes can be, but understanding the connection between the disease and its effects on the body is key to managing it.
So, why does diabetes cause so many health problems? To understand that, we need to first dive into what diabetes really is.
After you eat, your body breaks down food into glucose, which is the main source of energy for your cells. Glucose then enters your bloodstream, signaling your pancreas to release a hormone called insulin. Insulin's job is to help move glucose from your bloodstream into your muscles, fat, and liver, where it's stored for energy. Once your blood sugar levels drop, your pancreas slows down the production of insulin. And when blood sugar rises, it ramps up insulin production.
For people with diabetes, this system doesn't work properly. Either the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the insulin that is produced doesn’t do its job effectively. As a result, glucose builds up in the bloodstream because it can't enter the cells where it’s needed. Over time, this excess sugar causes serious damage to the blood vessels throughout the body, leading to inflammation. Inflammation reduces the flexibility of blood vessels, which makes it harder for them to adjust to changes in blood pressure.
As the blood vessels become stiffer and narrower, blood flow becomes restricted, preventing oxygen and nutrients from reaching vital organs and tissues. This is when damage to organs like the heart, kidneys, nerves, and eyes can occur – and that’s when the real risks of diabetes start to show.
Diabetes and the Eyes
One area particularly affected by diabetes is your eyes. You might notice changes in your vision if your blood sugar levels aren’t properly managed. For example, you could experience moments when your vision seems a bit blurry or hazy, like trying to watch the TV from a distance. This fluctuation in vision is often due to high blood sugar levels that affect the lens in your eye.
While the lens of the eye doesn’t have any blood vessels, it’s still impacted by changes in sugar levels in the body. The lens requires a delicate balance of fluids to maintain its shape and clarity. When blood sugar levels are high, the fluid around the lens (called aqueous humor) can change. This change, caused by osmosis, leads to an imbalance of fluids between the lens and the aqueous humor, pulling water into the lens and causing it to swell. As the lens swells, it becomes cloudy, affecting your vision. The good news is, once your blood sugar stabilizes, the lens usually returns to normal. But if high blood sugar continues over time, the swelling can lead to permanent damage and even early cataracts.
More severe effects of diabetes can occur when high blood sugar levels start damaging the tiny blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. When this happens, the retina’s blood vessels become weak and start to leak, causing fluid to build up and new, fragile blood vessels to grow. This is a condition known as diabetic retinopathy. The symptoms of diabetic retinopathy can be concerning – blurry vision, dark spots, or even sudden vision loss. It’s not just about seeing less clearly; colors might appear dull, and the whole experience can be unsettling.
If left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can lead to even more complications, including macular edema, where fluid collects in the macula (the part of the retina responsible for sharp central vision), causing swelling and further vision blurriness.
But here’s the good news: many of these changes can be caught early through regular eye exams. The eyes are the only place in the body where we can directly see blood vessels, so any changes in the eyes can signal problems elsewhere. The earlier we detect these signs, the better we can manage the condition and prevent further damage.
So, if you’re living with diabetes, or know someone who is, it’s crucial to keep up with eye checkups and carefully monitor blood sugar levels. With early detection and proactive care, many of these issues can be prevented or managed effectively, allowing you to keep your vision clear and your overall health in check.
Early Detections
With our range of screening platforms, detection is made easier. Diabetes doesn’t have to mean a lifetime of health problems – with the right approach, it can be managed, and you can continue to live a vibrant, healthy life. So book an appointment with us today.