Eye and Vision Care

More Than Meets the Eye: Preventing Vision Loss Due to Diabetes

There is more to eye health care than selecting eyeglasses and being fitted with contact lenses. Comprehensive eye examinations, including pupil dilation, can detect eye diseases such as glaucoma and ocular complications from systemic conditions, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension (high blood pressure).

Eye complications from systemic diseases can cause multiple vision problems if they are not detected and treated. Often individuals with eye disease are unaware that problems exist because their vision is not affected. The best way to detect sight-threatening complications is through a dilated pupil. Delaying diagnosis and treatment can lead to permanent vision loss.

Any individual with systemic conditions should have a dilated eye examination once per year, or sooner, to maintain proper eye health.

Early detection can prevent or delay the onset of eye diseases, before they cause permanent vision loss. For example, vision loss is preventable in over 95% of situations with early detection and treatment in individuals who develop eye disease in association with diabetes. It is a small sacrifice of time and effort to ensure optimal vision for a lifetime.

This article originally appeared in Great Visions, Summer Quarter 2003 newsletter, The Ohio State University Optometry Services, and was adapted for use on NetWellness with permission, 2007.

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Last Reviewed: May 02, 2007

Cynthia Gale Heard, OD
Assistant Professor, Clinical Optometry
College of Optometry
The Ohio State University