While the title alone may have been a mouthful, we’re breaking down all the extensive information into bite size facts so you can better understand why November is Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month.
“According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, approximately 29 million Americans age 20 or older have diabetes, but almost one-third don’t know they have the disease and are at risk for vision loss and other health problems”.
A third of this astounding number equals nearly seven million people with diabetes who are completely unaware of it. One of the reasons for this is because “early symptoms are often unnoticed” and can go untreated for long periods of time before the case is more severe (UNC School of Medicine). This poses a greater threat to the diabetic’s eyesight because severity only means more difficulty when beginning delayed treatment.
“Diabetic eye disease… includes diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma” (UNC School of Medicine), all issues that can lead to permanent eye damage or blindness if not taken care of.
The greatest of these eye diseases is diabetic retinopathy, “which affects 5.3 million Americans age 18 and older” (UNC School of Medicine). We say this as if the previous statistic wasn’t shocking enough.
It’s better to be safe than sorry, and November’s awareness factor makes that clear. If you do suffer from diabetes, be sure to have regular eye appointments and to watch for symptoms such as “blurred vision and/or floaters that: Affect only one eye; Last more than a few days; Are not associated with a change in blood sugar” (UNC School of Medicine).
Luckily, we, here at nJoy Vision, are capable and ready to help you with at least one of these issues. While we often talk about our high class service in the world of LASIK, we have helped a number of patients who have suffered from cataracts. For more information about our cataract services, click here.
Also, if you’re interested in our LASIK services, go to njoyvision.com/schedule to get your FREE consultation scheduled! We are currently having an amazing deal of $600 savings called our Holiday Hundreds deal!
