I had an eye exam recently, and the doctor told me there was bleeding in my left eye because of my diabetes, but never told me what I should do about it. What can you suggest?
I understand your concern; eye complications caused by diabetes can be frightening. But the good news is that there are treatments available and things you can do to minimize the progression of the disease.
Diabetes-related eye disease is a chronic, progressive condition, and the treatment varies depending on the stage of the specific complication. However, for all individuals who have diabetes, prevention of further damage is crucial, and studies have shown that this can be achieved by tightly controlling glucose levels and blood pressure. You should strive to maintain your hemoglobin A1C level at less than 7 percent and your blood pressure at 120/80 or less.
Besides maintaining normal or close-to-normal glucose levels, other interventions depend on the stage of your eye disease and the odds of loss of vision. If you had a comprehensive eye exam by an eye specialist, there might have been other findings that are relevant to the decision regarding treatment. For example, is the bleeding a leak from small blood vessels? Is there new vessel formation? This is important to determine because new vessels are fragile and rupture easily, so you'll want to know if the bleeding is coming from them. Another factor is the location of the bleeding. Is the retina swollen?
The answers to these questions determine the stage of your eye disease. If the stage of complication is advanced enough and/or your vision is threatened, you might benefit from a procedure called photocoagulation. This usually closes off the bleeding vessels and prevents the formation of new fragile vessels. There are other procedures your eye specialist might find necessary in order to correct the various abnormal changes in the eye. These changes can include the thickening of the fluid-filled chamber of the eye, glaucoma, cataracts, and risk for retinal detachment. Please do consult your physician to learn more about the findings in your eye, and in the meantime, be vigilant about your glucose control.
Learn more in the Everyday Health Type 2 Diabetes Center.
Last Updated: 1/1/2008