November is Diabetic Eye Disease Month, which is a good time to talk to your senior about her eyesight and what challenges she might face with her vision if she does have diabetes. There are a variety of different eye diseases that can affect people with diabetes, some of which may even require surgical intervention. Lining up the right help, like post-hospital care, can help your elderly family member to recover.
Diabetes Affects Every Organ System, Including the Eyes
When most people think about diabetes they think about blood sugar levels, but they might not realize just what that means on a systemic level. Your elderly family member’s entire body, including her eyes, can be affected by glucose levels that are too high for too long. Blood sugar levels that are too high can lead to temporary issues, like blurry vision, but over time that damage becomes more permanent and can lead to eye diseases.
Diabetic Eye Disease Is an Umbrella Term
The term diabetic eye disease actually describes a collection of eye diseases that people with diabetes are more prone to face. These conditions include cataracts, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and diabetic macular edema. All of these eye diseases are serious and can lead to blindness if not treated. Keeping your senior’s diabetes under control can help to reduce her risk of developing diabetic eye disease.
Risk Factors for Diabetic Eye Disease
Almost all of these eye diseases are ones that anyone can develop, like cataracts. But risk factors like glucose levels that are too high greatly increase the likelihood that your senior will experience all sorts of complications, including diabetic eye disease. Other risk factors include untreated high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and habits like smoking. Addressing controllable risk factors can do a lot to help your senior avoid diabetic eye disease.
Diagnosing Diabetic Eye Disease
The best way to make sure that your senior’s eyes are as healthy as possible is to make sure she’s going to her eye appointments regularly. Your senior’s eye doctor will test her vision and make sure that her eye pressure is at the correct level. If she already has diabetes, your senior’s eye doctor will likely want to make sure to be thorough with her eye exams and may even want to see her more frequently.
Treating Diabetic Eye Disease
Treatments for diabetic eye disease vary depending on how far the disease has progressed and what disease your senior is facing. For some diabetic eye diseases, medication might work. But others might require surgical procedures, laser treatments, and other more complicated treatment methods. Post-hospital care providers are an excellent option for making life easier and safer for your senior after eye surgery. This type of care ensures that your elderly family member is able to recover with the assistance of skilled providers who know what to be on the lookout for after surgical procedures.
Whether your elderly family member is already battling diabetes or is at high risk of developing it, she needs to be aware of what could happen with diabetic eye disease. That helps her to make the best decisions possible to protect her eyesight.
If you or an aging loved-one is considering Post-Hospital Care in Rancho Cucamonga, CA please contact the caring staff at Calvary Senior Care today. (866) 710-8767
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