Diabetes is not a new disease, but doctors are seeing new cases of diabetes at a much higher rate than ever before. Studies show that over 21 million people in the United States have diabetes. It’s estimated that an additional 6 million people have a form of the disease but have not been diagnosed and are not receiving treatment. While people who are treating their diabetes and are controlling their blood sugars may still experience complications, for the undiagnosed and untreated the risks are much greater. Brevard Medical Equipment is in the business of health and wants all of you to be diabetes aware this month and all year long.

Diabetes affects the way our bodies process food for energy and growth. For people with diabetes, the body has trouble converting sugar from the foods they eat in the blood into energy, which can lead to more health problems. This applies to all three forms of diabetes – type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes and can lead to vision problems.

While there are several eye disorders associated with diabetes, diabetic retinopathy is the most common. Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that affects the blood vessels in the all-important retina.

What is the retina? The light sensitive retina is at the back of the eye and is responsible for processing visual images.  Diabetic retinopathy can affect your vision in mild, moderate or even severe ways. Some of those ways include seeing spots or floaters in your vision, having blurred vision, experiencing a dark spot in the center of your vision, and having difficulty seeing at night or in low light.

How common is this diabetes-related eye disease? Almost 45 percent (that’s nearly 1 out of 2 people) of Americans diagnosed with diabetes are in one of the stages of diabetic retinopathy.  People diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are encouraged to get a thorough eye exam every year and always manage this diabetes well.

We’ll have more on diabetic eye health next time. Brevard Medical Equipment wants you to be happy and healthy and to live life to the fullest. Ask us about our Sharps Disposal by Mail System and other daily use health care items.