Open Your Eyes to Diabetes: Top Cause of Blindness Among Adults in Minnesota and the Nation

MINNEAPOLIS--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--During National Diabetes Awareness Month, the Minnesota Optometric Association (MOA) urges Minnesotans living with diabetes and diabetic eye disease to schedule dilated, comprehensive eye exams on a yearly basis.

“Optometrists often serve as the first line of detection for diabetes, since the eye is the only place on the body that blood vessels can be seen without having to look through the skin.”

According to the Minnesota Department of Health’s Diabetes Program, one in three people with diabetes do not have an annual eye exam, yet between 500-800 people become blind in Minnesota every year because of diabetes.

According to recent national studies, diabetes is responsible for eight percent of legal blindness, making it the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74 years annually. The key to successful eye care is to monitor the disease, including vision. More frequent exams may be needed if you have diabetic retinopathy, or if you notice a change in your vision.

“During a dilated exam, an optometrist will look at your retina for early signs of diabetic eye disease, such as leaking blood vessels, swelling and deposits on the retina,” said Dr. Stan Andrist, partner in Moorhead Vision Associates and president of the MOA Board of Trustees. “Optometrists often serve as the first line of detection for diabetes, since the eye is the only place on the body that blood vessels can be seen without having to look through the skin.”

Diabetic retinopathy often has no early warning signs, so changes in vision may not be noticed. Therefore, early detection is critical in maintaining healthy vision. The number of people suffering from diabetic eye disease is expected to double by the year 2020, yet this risk can be lowered by as much as 76% with adherence to doctor’s instructions and regular monitoring.

Several factors influence whether someone with diabetes develops diabetic retinopathy, including controlling blood sugar and blood pressure levels, the length of time with diabetes, race and family history. Both African-Americans and Hispanics are nearly twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.

Be sure to see an optometrist if your vision becomes blurry, if you have trouble reading, experience double vision, feel pressure in your eyes, encounter straight lines appearing wavy or if your side vision is limited.

For additional information on eye health, and diabetic retinopathy, please visit http://www.minnesotaoptometrists.org

The Minnesota Optometric Association has over 400 member doctors of optometry around the state. The MOA is committed to furthering awareness of optometrists as primary eye care or family eye doctors and to bringing about change that positively impacts the MOA member doctors and their patients.