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Early detection is key to a positive prognosis!
On 20 December 2006, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a landmark Resolution recognising diabetes as a chronic, debilitating and costly disease. They chose 14th November as World Diabetes Day in commemoration of Sir Frederick Banting who co-discovered insulin with scientists Charles Best and John James Rickard Macleod. Insulin has revolutionised the therapy and prognosis of diabetes.
World Diabetes Day is the world's largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries. The purpose of marking this day within Diabetes Awareness Month is to educate people on how diabetes impacts the lives of people, to organise funding for research, to garner public support for legislation issues, teaching and training people on how to tackle this challenging disease. The mental and physical well-being of the people with diabetes remains the focus of this day, emphasising that one can live well in spite of being diabetic.
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An important aspect of the campaign focuses attention on how diabetes can impact the eyes and how we can keep our eyes healthy. Diabetic eye disease, retinopathy, is a group of eye conditions caused by chronic high blood sugar levels. If left untreated this eventually leads to damage of the blood vessels of the retina. It happens gradually, often going unnoticed until the disease has progressed, and symptoms are so severe that one is at risk of vision loss. The disease can be effectively managed and vision loss prevented or delayed if diagnosed early and steps are taken to control blood sugar levels.
If you have diabetes, it is important to have a comprehensive eye examination. Your optometrist can detect the warning signs of diabetic retinopathy before symptoms appear. Signs that indicate diabetic disease may be noticed during an eye examination before you have been diagnosed with diabetes, and you can be referred to a medical practitioner who will diagnose and treat the condition. If you suspect you may have diabetes or you have concerns about visual changes, visit your optometrist for a comprehensive eye examination.
Take advantage of Diabetes Awareness Month to be proactive about your health, and specifically your eye and visual health. Diabetic eye disease can be managed with control of blood sugar levels, a healthy lifestyle and regular eye examinations to monitor any changes. Early detection is key to a positive prognosis!
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