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Glaucoma

Diabetic Eye Disease

Diabetes Facts

Glaucoma
It is recommended that everyone at risk of glaucoma have their eyes examined at least once every two years. A 2007 survery found that two-fifths of Americans over age 40 are not getting their eyes checked annually, even though twice as many fear blindness than fear heart disease of dying prematurely.

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases in which the pressure inside the eye may or may not be elevated. If untreated, vision loss or blindness may result. With open angle glaucoma, the most common form of the disease, the normal fluid pressure inside the eye progressively increases.

Many people at high risk for glaucoma are unaware that they could be going blind. It is this group of people that Lions need to reach with sight-saving information through LEHP. Ask yourself the following questions and evaluate your "risk" for developing glaucoma.

Does Your Family Have a History of Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is hereditary. If someone in your family's past has had glaucoma, please have your eyes examined.

Are you an African-American over 40?
Studies show that glaucoma is:

• Three to four times more likely to occur in African-Americans than in Caucasians.
• Six times more likely to cause blindness in African-Americans than in Caucasians.
• 15 times more likely to cause blindness in African-Americans between the ages of 45-64 than in Caucasians of the same age group.

Are You of Retirement Age?
Anyone over the age of 60 is at risk for developing glaucoma.

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 glaucoma. Without a dilated pupil eye exam every two years, 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 glaucoma and should schedule a dilated pupil exam with your local eye doctor at least once every two years.

With glaucoma, there are no initial symptoms. Vision stays normal, and there is no pain. However, as the disease progresses, a person with glaucoma may notice his or her side vision gradually failing. That is, objects in front may still be seen clearly, but objects to the side may be missed. As the disease worsens, the field of vision narrows and blindness results. Detection comes from regular dilated pupil eye exams.

If glaucoma is detected and treated early, it usually can be controlled before severe vision loss occurs. It is recommended that everyone at risk have their eyes examined at least once every two years.

For more information, download the brochure "What You Should Know About Glaucoma."

Diabetic Eye Disease
It is recommended that those at risk of diabetic eye disease have a dilated pupil eye exam at least once a year. Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of eye problems that people with diabetes may face as a complication of this disease.

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 who 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 "What You Should Know About 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 serious complications.
• Nearly 90% of those who develop Type II diabetes are obese. In many cases, 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 increases the 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.