INDIVIDUALS suffering from diabetes must consciously control their blood sugar levels and manage this disease daily either through careful diet, exercise, oral medication and/or insulin treatment.

Another important activity must be added to this list, though: a regular eye checkup.  That’s because diabetes, if left uncontrolled, also affects the eyes. Early cataract formation is a common eye complication resulting from diabetes.

Another complication -- diabetic retinopathy -- happens to be the leading cause of blindness among the working-age group. This complication damages the inner lining of the eye or the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye necessary for good vision. Diabetic retinopathy makes the retinal blood vessels or capillaries sprout abnormal new vessels and leak blood and fluid directly into the retina or the macula, causing blurred vision and eventually blindness as Retinal Detachment  and Neovascular  Glaucoma set in.

“The longer a person has diabetes, the higher the chances of getting this disease,” said Dr. Arnold Salud, Retina specialist at The American Eye Center (AEC).  “As the bleeding continues, the patient experiences blurred vision, sees numerous floaters, and eventually, vision goes into total darkness.”

Based on a 2009 study by the International Diabetes Federation, around 3.4 million Filipino adults out of over 51 million adult population have diabetes -- all at risk of having diabetic retinopathy.  Despite effective diabetes treatment, diabetic retinopathy tends to continue damaging the eyes’ capillaries over time; prescription lenses can hardly relieve the resulting blurred vision.

The good news is that 90 percent of new cases could be reduced through proper and vigilant treatment and monitoring of the eyes. Salud advises adults to have retinal checkups as soon as they are diagnosed with diabetes. Children with diabetes should have retinal checkups as soon as they reach puberty.

More important, only qualified and highly reputable ophthalmologists should conduct these repeated retinal checkups. AEC has several Eye MDs contributing their expertise to treat any conditions affecting the eyes, making it one of the best eye clinics in the country. It also has all the latest equipment needed to properly document the progress of the disease and to identify the appropriate stage at which laser treatment and or surgery  may be needed.

“Because retinopathy is associated with diabetes, prevention can best be done by a very tight control of blood sugar and regular retina checkups,” said Salud. 

He stressed that even if the patient does not feel any symptoms, he must still comply with the monitoring schedule recommended by the doctor. “Diabetic retinopathy often starts quietly, and by the time you experience symptoms, the disease is already in its advanced stages,” he said.

AEC has the most modern facilities and the world-class team of Eye MDs to perform various treatments for errors of refraction, glaucoma, and as well as all retina diseases. It also specializes in pediatric ophthalmology to treat eye diseases and  promote vision development and vision care in children.

AEC is accredited with the Department of Health and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation. Its fully equipped branches are located at the Level 5, EDSA Shangri-La Plaza, and at the Level 4 of Greenbelt 5, Makati City. For inquiries, call 636-0762 or 729-EYES (3937) or visit www.eyecenter.com.ph, follow eyetweets in Twitter, and “like our account” in Facebook.