Doctor & Associates provided information about diabetes,
eye disease, diabetic retinopathy and eye problems as Prevent Blindness America designates
November as National Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month.
Diabetic Population & Eye Problems
Growing
There are more
than 25 million people in the U.S. who have diabetes and this number is rapidly
growing-in an almost epidemic proportion. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults
20-74 years of age with some 8 million
people ages 40 and older who have diabetic retinopathy.
You Can Prevent Vision Loss from Diabetes
Although there is
no cure for diabetic eye disease, annual eye exams for diabetes patients are
essential to help slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic eye
disease. The potential 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. As part
of Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month we are urging people with diabetes to
have a dilated eye exam every year. The longer a person has diabetes, the
greater his or her risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. However, diabetic
retinopathy does not only affect people who have had diabetes for many years,
it can also appear within the first year or two after the onset of the disease.
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 Doctor &
Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor
& Associates in Fairfield County or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to
schedule an appointment.
Doctor & Associates is a
leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice with offices at 129 Kings Highway North,
Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and
148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.
