Diabetes, high blood pressure affects the eyes

Diabetes and hypertension are two diseases that people live in the industrial age are susceptible to infection, this disease causes silent damage on the eyes, can even lead to blindness if not diagnosed and timely treatment.

Diabetic complications in the eye

According to statistics of the health sector, there are about 2 million people in Vietnam with diabetes, but 65% of patients do not know they have this disease. In the past 10 years, the number of diabetics has increased from 3 to 4 times in urban areas, while in rural areas it used to be very rare for diabetes, the disease has become popular. . The World Health Organization also expects the number of people with diabetes in the world to increase to about 300 million people by 2025.

Taking care of diabetics (Photo: VNN) Doctor Nicolas Lague, FV General Hospital, said diabetes is related to insulin problems - hormones stimulate the body's cells to absorb glucose energy in blood. The exact cause of diabetes is currently unknown. However, it is noted that there are genetic or family factors (that is, when a family has diabetes, the rest are at higher risk of developing diabetes). Social factors also contribute to diabetes such as obesity, diet, low physical activity .

There are 2 types of diabetes: Type I diabetes (dependent on insulin): Occupies 10%, is common in young people, has symptoms of eating a lot, drinking more, urinating a lot, losing weight quickly; Type II diabetes (Insulin-dependent): Occupies 90%, occurs in people over 30, obese, few symptoms, goes on quietly.

According to Dr Doric Wong, head of the Singapore National Eye Center (SNEC) Department of Ophthalmology, diabetes can lead to nerve damage, heart disease and kidney disease. But one thing few people pay attention to is that the disease can cause eye complications, which is one of the leading causes of blindness in today's developed countries. Because it is a disease involving small blood vessels, diabetes makes it easier to cause damage to the eyes, especially the retina (nerve membrane at the base of the eye) through many stages from very small lesions such as aneurysm, nodule hemorrhage . to more severe lesions such as causing bleeding in the eyes leading to pulling, retinal detachment and blindness.

In addition, diabetes can cause complications in the retinal blood vessels such as the central retinal vein occlusion, occlusion of the retinal artery, and macular lesions. These complications further aggravate the eye condition, which can lead to neuralgia and glaucoma. In the early stages, small lesions on the eyes, lasers can help and prevent disease from getting worse. In more severe lesions, treatment will not be as effective and the disease may continue to progress unstoppably.

Check your eyes periodically when you have high blood pressure, diabetes

For high blood pressure, hypertension is also a major threat to human health and a cause of disability, leading death for the elderly. There are 2 types of hypertension: Secondary: common in young patients, accounting for about 10%, due to kidney, endocrine or drug use and Primary: Occupying 90-95%, common in older people. Without treatment, there will be many complications in other organs such as heart, brain, kidney, blood vessels .

Also according to Nicolas Lague doctor, high blood pressure can cause damage on small blood vessels in the retina similar to those caused by diabetes, and sometimes also need laser treatment. In addition, high blood pressure is also likely to block blood vessels in the eyes, as well as in the brain, heart or other organs.

With these two diseases, Dr. Doric Wong advised patients to check their eyes periodically. This is essential for diabetics, although patients may not see any unusual eye symptoms. Eye examination with retinal fluorescence scans helps to detect stages of diabetes in the eye, thereby obtaining appropriate treatment and follow-up directions.

Similarly, people with hypertension who conduct eye exams will monitor the elevation of blood pressure and take precautions and treatment.

Nhu Quynh