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"No! No. You
must be wrong! It cannot be true!"
I had just done Laura's eye exam and told
her there was severe bleeding inside both
eyes from diabetes.
"Why didn't I know? Why couldn't I feel
it? How come my eyes were not bloodshot or
hurt? Or...or..."
Her voice trailed off and tears filled her
eyes.
I reached out and held her hand, but the
next 30 seconds of silence took forever.
She finally whispered, "I thought it might
be bleeding. My mom had that happen."
Laura was 30 years old and had not had an
eye exam in many years. She had been a
rebellious teenager who had not controlled
her diet, weight or insulin. Her HMO had
not had her see an eye doctor, and she had
not insisted because she "did not want to
get bad news."
As Laura was about to find out, diabetes
is one of the leading causes of
preventable blindness. Diabetics do not
have any pain, pus or poor vision or
warning signals. Some diabetics can have
20/20 vision until one day when they
suddenly, dramatically lose vision from
leaking or bleeding inside the eye.
Laura's denial and avoidance began to
change into acceptance.
I explained that her eyes were like small
cameras, that the delicate inner lining in
the back of the eye -- the retina -- was
like film in the camera. If there is
leaking or bleeding damage tot he retina,
then that part of the vision will also be
damaged.
With diabetes, the blood vessels of the
retina may become weak and leak blood. The
damage from the leaking and bleeding
builds up in the center of the retina
causing blurred vision. The damage
increases with age, duration of diabetes
and frequency of elevated blood sugars. It
is even worse in females,
African-Americans and older persons.
Laura was typical: The damaging changes
continued to grow without symptoms. She
did not have a medical doctor examine her
by looking in the eye at least once a year
to allow him or her to refer a diabetic
patient to an ophthalmologist who can
identify the problem, use laser treatment
and prevent blindness.
The good news is that almost everyone's
vision can be saved if the eye problems
are found soon enough and treated. Laser
treatment of the eye is simple, safe, and
very successful at stopping the leaking
and bleeding. Only the laser treatment can
prevent blindness and restore sight.
Laura received treatment, regained her
20/20 vision and now plans to start a
family of her own.
Her advice: "Have an eye exam. Do not wait
until you lose your vision -- it may be
too late!" |
