Free Diabetic Retinopathy Screening
TBA
at The Hanover Township Senior Center, Route 59 in Bartlett
* No Appointment Necessary *
It is estimated that more than 200 million people have diabetes. They are at risk of losing sight due to diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy affects the retina,the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that transmits visual messages via the optic nerve to the brain. When this delicate tissue is damaged by diabetic retinopathy, the result may be visual impairment or blindness.
Diabetes awareness was adopted as a long-term commitment of the Lions association in March 1984. The primary objective of the Lions program is to reduce the number of new cases of blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy through diabetes education, early detection and treatment, and support of research.
Why is it important to know how diabetes affects the eyes?
If you have diabetes--or if someone close to you has this disease--you should know that diabetes can affect the eyes and cause visual impairment.
Fortunately, there are ways to prevent or lessen damage to the eyes caused by diabetes. That is why it is so important for people with this disease to have a professional eye examination as soon as their diabetes is diagnosed, and at least once a year thereafter.
Annual eye examinations are especially important for people who havea high risk of developing eye complications from diabetes. These include persons with diabetes who have had their disease five years or longer, and those who have difficulty controlling glucose levels in their blood.
In addition, pregnancy is known to be a factor in the development or worsening of diabetic eye disease. There is evidence to suggest that high blood pressure and smoking may cause diabetic eye disease to worsen.
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Diabetic eye disease may include:
Diabetic retinopathy -- damage to the blood vessels in the retina. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of
blindness in American adults.
Cataract* -- clouding of the eye's lens.
Glaucoma* -- increase in fluid pressure inside the eye that leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision.
*Cataract and glaucoma also affect many people who do not have diabetes.
Many people at high risk for diabetic eye disease are unaware that they could be going blind. It is these people that Lions reach with
sight-saving information through LEHP. Ask yourself the following questions and evaluate your "risk" for developing diabetic eye disease.
Are You Diabetic?
The longer someone has diabetes, the more likely he or she will get diabetic retinopathy. Nearly half of all people with diabetes will develop some degree of diabetic retinopathy during their lifetime.
Are You African-American, Hispanic or Native American?
In the U.S., African-Americans are 1.6 times as likely; Hispanics are more than 2 times as likely; and Native Americans are 2.7 times as likely to develop diabetes.
Are You of Retirement Age?
About half of all diabetes cases occur in people over the age of 60.
Are You Lacking a Regular Source of Health Care?
Individuals that do not regularly make appointments with a health care professional run the risk of ignoring the onset of diabetic eye disease. Without a yearly eye exam, vague symptoms may go unnoticed until it's too late and the disease has progressed to a severe stage. Many times, there are no symptoms in the early stages of the disease.
If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions you are "at risk" for developing diabetic eye disease and should schedule a dilated pupil exam with your local eye doctor at least once a year.
Diabetic eye disease often shows no symptoms in its earliest stages. Blurred vision may occur when swelling in the eye occurs. Detection comes from regular dilated pupil eye exams. It is recommended that everyone at risk have their eyes examined at least once a year.
For more information, download the brochure "Don't Lose Sight of Diabetic eye Disease."
Facts about Diabetes
There are two major forms of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes always requires daily injections of insulin for life. Type II diabetes can often be controlled through proper nutrition and exercise. Only heart disease and cancer kill more people per year than diabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of adult blindness. Women are more likely to develop Type II diabetes than men. In addition to blindness, diabetes causes kidney disease, heart attacks,strokes, gangrene leading to leg amputation and other seriouscomplications. Nearly 90% of those who develop Type II diabetes are obese. In manycases, the symptoms of diabetes would disappear if the person lost weight. The symptoms of Type II diabetes tend to be mild. Approximately 50% of those who develop Type II diabetes do not realize they have it. Diabetes lessens the chance of a successful pregnancy and increasesthe risk of birth defects and infant death. Diabetes is a major cause of impotence in males of all ages. Diabetes is not caused by eating too many sweets