Eye Care and Diabetes
By editor | October 21, 2007
Eye care is also a part of hygiene. Many illnesses, such as colds and flu, are passed on by contact of the hands with either the mouth or the eyes. You should wash your hands before you do anything related to the eyes. If you wear contact lenses, be sure to wash your hands before handling the lenses to prevent eye infections. Any eye infection should be treated promptly. Pink eye (an acute, highly contagious type of conjunctivitis) can result in blindness if not treated correctly.
For the person who does not have diabetes, routine eye exams should be done every two years. For the person with diabetes, the eyes should be checked every year or even more frequently, as recommended by the ophthalmologist or retinologist. Note: Because optometrists used to be trained primarily to fit glasses, in the past people with diabetes mellitus were advised to see an ophthalmologist or retinologist instead. The reasoning for this guidance was the potential for eye disease with elevated blood-glucose levels. However, optometrists are now educated to look for eye diseases and even to take retinal photographs to look for diabetes-related eye diseases. If a disease is found, the optometrist will refer you to an ophthalmologist or retinologist for treatment.
It is recommended that anyone given a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes have an eye exam immediately, with retinal photographs taken. The person who is newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes should have retinal photographs taken after five years of diagnosis. However, it would be wise to have such eye evaluations right away to determine a baseline to be used for later comparison.
Eye exercises are another consideration for good eye care. While this area is somewhat controversial, many people feel that exercises that involve the eye muscles can strengthen the eyes. For example, when you are doing close work, every 15 to 20 minutes look into the distance and alternate with looking up close ten times.
Eyes are a very precious part of the body. Your vision can be stable and can last a lifetime if your eyes are well cared for. If treatment is needed, it should be administered as early as possible.
Tagged under:blood glucose levels conjunctivitis Diabetes Care diabetes mellitus eye diseases eye exercises eye muscles pink eye routine eye exams type 2 diabetes
Topics: Diabetes Care |
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