Monday, 14 March 2022 03:20 PM
Company Update
Diabetes Health Magazine Says You Don't Need to Go Blind
SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 14, 2022 / Diabetes Retinopathy (DR) affects 30% of people living with diabetes. It is the most common form of diabetic eye disease and the leading cause of blindness in adults age 20-74. It affects 7.7 million Americans, and that number is projected to increase to more than 14.6 million people by 2030.
The Hispanic community has the highest risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. The African American community is the second-largest population at risk for DR.
Nadia Al-Samarrie, patient advocate and Founder and Editor In Chief of Diabetes Health Magazine says, "the research shows the longer you live with diabetes; the higher your chances are of being diagnosed with it. People with Type 1 diabetes are more at risk than Type 2's and women with gestational diabetes."
Al-Samarrie's mother went blind from her type 2 diabetes. Al-Samarrie recalls, "As a result, the quality of her life diminished, leading her to lose her independence, and she had to live at my home as I managed her medications and insulin injections. Unfortunately, she assumed the changes in her eyesight were age-related. Regular checkups with an ophthalmologist could have detected her impaired vision early and would have given her a treatment option that she did not have after losing her eyesight."
The National Eye Institute (NEI) says prolonged high blood sugars, greater than 180mg/dL- over 2 hours from the start of a meal put the person with diabetes at risk of losing sight. High blood sugar impedes the blood flow in the eye vessels to the retina, making them bulge and, in some cases, start bleeding. This affects the retina and may lead to being blind.
Diabetic retinopathy is not reversible, but it is preventable by controlling diabetes. The NEI encourages people with diabetes to maintain regular blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, reach and maintain a healthy weight, and stop smoking. A comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year is highly recommended.
"Don't go blind when a simple annual eye exam can make the difference in living independently," says Al-Samarrie, "It offers you and your loved ones a long and healthy life together. I miss my mother. I sometimes wish she knew how a simple eye exam could have forever changed her life."
ABOUT DIABETES HEALTH MAGAZINE
Diabetes Health is the leading source for people and families living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Topics include lifestyle, news, medical devices, business briefs, advice column, diabetes medication and medical device charts, podcasts, videos, and recipes. It was recognized as one of the Top 10 Magazines in The World to Follow in 2018 by Feedspot Blog Reader. Nadia Al-Samarrie, Founder and Editor-In-Chief, is a diabetes pioneer in patient advocacy. She is known for providing the missing link that helps people manage their fluctuating blood sugars to lead a long healthy, happy life. Her diabetes self-care column draws from her personal experience with four generations of Type 2 diabetes and her former Type 1 partner of twenty years. For more information, visit Diabetes Health on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter. For additional information, visit www.diabeteshealth.com.
CONTACT
Nadia Al-Samarrie
[email protected]
415-488-4526
SOURCE: Diabetes Health Magazine