{"id":8461,"date":"2024-04-15T08:04:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T08:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp26.cmswebdeveloper.com\/asian-news\/have-diabetes-heres-how-to-keep-an-eye-on-your-health\/"},"modified":"2024-04-15T08:04:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T08:04:00","slug":"have-diabetes-heres-how-to-keep-an-eye-on-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp26.cmswebdeveloper.com\/asian-news\/have-diabetes-heres-how-to-keep-an-eye-on-your-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Have diabetes? Here\u2019s how to keep an eye on your health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Did you know diabetes can cause sight loss? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr Evelyn Mensah, Clinical Lead for Ophthalmology at London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust explains: \u201cIf you have diabetes, you\u2019re at risk of a diabetic eye disease called diabetic retinopathy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Screening helps to protect your eyes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Diabetes causes the level of glucose in our blood, also known as blood sugar, to rise.
\u201cWhen it\u2019s high for a long time, blood sugar can damage blood vessels, arteries, organs and tissues, including those in the retina, at the back of the eye,\u201d says Dr Mensah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen the blood vessels in our eyes are affected, it can damage the retina which needs a healthy blood flow to help us to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot everyone with diabetes will be affected but if left untreated it can cause sight loss. Free regular screening from the NHS means we can detect it and treat it early to protect your sight and prevent or slow further damage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you know the signs and symptoms of diabetes?<\/strong> <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018I thought I just needed new glasses\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Bernadette Warren, 55, from Surrey was registered sight impaired in 2016, 20 years after being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDiabetic eye screening is so important because you won\u2019t usually have any symptoms,\u201d Bernadette says. \u201cSomething could be happening, and you won\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

The mum-of-two, pictured left, already had the first stages of diabetic retinopathy which hadn\u2019t needed treatment when she noticed she was having difficulty reading.
Thinking she simply needed new glasses, she eventually made an appointment for an eye test. But the optician spotted a change in her condition and arranged an urgent appointment with her ophthalmologist, who diagnosed a serious eye complication known as diabetic macular oedema<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy blood sugar levels were the best they\u2019d ever been but now I couldn\u2019t see so well. I\u2019d thought I just needed new reading glasses and I\u2019d been putting it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I was diagnosed with sight loss, the repercussions were enormous. No one wants to lose their sight. I cried for six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor my own sake, my husbands, my children\u2019s, and others around me, I\u2019ve made this into a positive thing in my life. It was hard. But there\u2019s a lot of support out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who should attend screening?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everyone who\u2019s 12 or over with diabetes is invited to a screening appointment every one to two years. How often depends on the results from your past two screening tests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Dr Evelyn Mensah<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExercising, giving up smoking, and keeping our blood pressure and cholesterol to healthy levels all help to reduce the risk of diabetic eye disease and other problems too,\u201d says Dr Mensah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDiabetic eye screening is necessary from age 12 years old, whether you\u2019ve had diabetes for a long time or not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople with South Asian and Black African or Caribbean heritage are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, often at a younger age. This means they live longer with the condition and consequently are at risk of complications for a longer period of their life.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

This video from Guy\u2019s and St Thomas\u2019s NHS Foundation Trust in London shows you what to expect from your eye screening appointment. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n