“We have to work especially hard this year to help patients
with diabetes avoid diabetic eye disease and problems,” stressed Alabama
Eye & Cataract Center Ophthalmologist Tyler Hall, M.D. “Current data
suggests there are some 26 million people with diabetes in the U.S. and almost
8 million people over 40 years of age with diabetic retinopathy. While we can’t
cure diabetic
eye disease, annual eye exams for diabetes patients can help slow the
progression of the disease and diabetic eye problems,” said Dr. Hall.
The vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented
if it's caught early and treated in time. More
than one third of those diagnosed with diabetes do not adhere to vision care
guidelines recommending a dilated eye exam every year. The longer a person
has diabetes, the greater his or her risk for developing diabetic retinopathy.
In addition to having regular eye examinations and testing
at the direction of your eye doctor, patients can help to reduce the risk of
developing diabetic eye disease by not
smoking, controlling their cholesterol and lipid profile and blood pressure, as
well as working to eat a heart-healthy diet rich in fish, fruit and green leafy
vegetables and exercising.
If
you or someone you know has diabetes or even elevated blood sugar levels they
should work to prevent diabetic eye disease and problems with regular eye exams
by calling Alabama Eye & Cataract
Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or
facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.
Michelson Laser Vision, 327
Summit Boulevard, Birmingham, Alabama 35243 and Alabama Eye & Cataract
Center, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 are leading eye care centers in
Birmingham.
