Medical Treatment of Diabetic Eye Disease
If you are a diabetic, you are the best medicine for diabetic retinopathy, the most common diabetic eye disease. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) demonstrated that control of blood sugar levels delays the start and progression of diabetic retinopathy. The same study showed that people who did better in controlling their blood sugar also had less kidney and nerve disease.
Other studies have shown that controlling blood pressure and cholesterol also reduce the progression of diabetic retinopathy. You really do have the ability to delay onset and progression of diabetic eye diseases by effectively managing your diabetes.
Currently there are no medications or eye drops that you can take to specifically treat diabetic eye disease. Therefore, maintaining your overall health is an important part of protecting your vision. The National Diabetes Information Clearing House (NDIC) recommends that you follow these steps to staying healthy:
- Follow the healthy eating plan that you and your doctor or dietitian have developed.
- Be active a total of 30 minutes most days. Always ask your doctor what activities are best for you.
- Take your diabetes medicine as directed.
- Check your blood sugar levels daily and record the result in your diary.
- Check your feet every day for cuts, blisters, sores, swelling, redness, or sore toenails.
- Brush and floss your teeth daily.
- Control your blood pressure and cholesterol.
By keeping your blood sugar levels and blood pressure as close to normal as possible and by having a dilated eye examination once a year, you’ll be doing your part to protect your vision.
