Could compulsory tests for diabetes save your eyesight?

The Ellesmere Port branch of SpecSavers is the unlikely location for some very sound advice with regards to diabetes and the potential for sufferers to seriously affect their eyesight without knowing it. It is well known that diabetics are at greater risk of potentially going blind in later life but were you aware that a diabetic is actually 20 times more at risk than someone without the condition?

To this end there is a growing demand for compulsory diabetes tests in UK as a means of catching the condition at the earliest opportunity and offsetting the potential for risk to eyesight and other health conditions. Diabetes UK has collated a vast amount of data regarding the onset of diabetes in the UK and reported a 50% rise in the last 12 months which in basic terms means the confirmation of one new diabetes sufferer every three minutes!

Of the 2.5 million people in the UK who are known to suffer from diabetes, putting aside the estimated 500,000 who are unaware, it is believed that 40% already have some level of damage to the optical nerve although in many circumstances the onset can be halted or repaired. Commonly referred to as retinopathy, the condition is treatable and in 90% of cases blindness can be prevented by early detection.

SpecSavers are suggesting that each person in the UK has an eye test every two years because not only will the general optical damage be confirmed and addressed, but an eye test can actually confirm a person has the diabetes condition. There is no doubt that diabetes in UK has the potential to cause serious damage to the health of many and possibly result in a very difficult lifestyle. However, if the condition is diagnosed at an early stage there are many health issues which can be avoided and in many cases are perfectly normal standard of living can be ensured.

Potential damage to the eye is just one of the many health side-effects which have blighted those suffering from diabetes over many years. Even though many different conditions have been identified in relation to diabetes sufferers there is much more research to be done in this field to clarify the situation and attempt to improve detection and prevention methods. Comments from the likes of SpecSavers are a very useful attempt to educate the public with regards to diabetes with more and more people believing “it will never happen to them”.

Conclusion

To think that such a simple action as an eye test could actually diagnose the condition of diabetes, which is impacting seriously on the UK population, will shock many people. While we all know we should have regular eye tests how many of us have been to an opticians in the last 24 months?

While undetected conditions such as diabetes can lead to serious health side-effects such as blindness we must also remember that if diagnosed early enough there is no reason why blindness should be the next stage. However, it is essential that we all appreciate the massive increase in the number of diabetic sufferers and open our minds to the potential damage it could cause us in the future.

Related posts:

1. Is type II diabetes affecting the mental well-being of sufferers?
2. Should there be a mandatory diabetes test for everyone in the UK?

Tagged as: diabetes, eyesight