Prevent Blindness America
has designated November as National Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month in
order to highlight the risks of diabetic eye disease problems. Patients need to
be aware
that diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74
years of age. There are almost 8 million people ages 40 and older who have diabeticretinopathy. This represents a significant increase due to the aging of the
baby boomer population along with an epidemic of obesity and diabetes.
While there is no cure for diabetic retinopathy, the
vision loss from diabetic eye problems 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 D’Ambrosio
Eye Care at 800-325-3937, visiting D’Ambrosio Eye Care or
facebook.com/dambrosioeyecare so that we can help recommend an appropriate
treatment plan.
D'Ambrosio
Eye Care is a leading eye and LASIK care practice with office locations
at 479 Old Union Turnpike,
Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, 100 Powder Mill Road, Acton, Massachusetts
01720, 413 Main Street, Athol, Massachusetts 01331 and 74 Main Street, Gardner,
Massachusetts 01440 that serve the greater Boston and
central Massachusetts area.
