Diabetes and glaucoma are both serious conditions. The American Academy of Ophthalmology confirms a link between them. Knowing this connection can help you become more aware of your general health and vision. Here are the details that you must consider about the connection between diabetes and glaucoma. 

What Glaucoma Is

This eye condition can cause blindness. Studies show that it has a connection with diabetes. Controlling your blood sugar levels should help preserve your vision. If you already have glaucoma, controlling your diabetes will slow the deterioration of your vision. 
 

The optic nerve delivers visual signals from the retina to the brain. The eyes then produce aqueous humor. This clear liquid drains through a meshwork. When glaucoma strikes, this liquid does not drain as it should. 

The lack of draining results in increased intraocular pressure. This pressure can cause physical strain and stress on your eye structures. The high pressure can result in the remodeling, compression, and deformation of your optic nerves. The change in your eye structures may lead to permanent blindness in some cases. 

Diabetes and Glaucoma

Diabetes is a condition that prevents your body from maintaining normal blood glucose levels. Sugar gives you energy for your daily activities. Even so, excessive sugar in the blood can put stress on your vital organs. High blood glucose levels can damage your retina. Undiagnosed diabetes can cause diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to vision loss.      

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you have a higher risk of developing glaucoma. If you already have glaucoma, the pressure buildup can damage your optic nerve and retina. Without treatment, glaucoma can impair eyesight. It can also leave you totally or partially blind. 

Early Diagnosis Results in Slow Glaucoma Progression

Controlling diabetes right from the moment of your diagnosis is ideal for controlling glaucoma. Catching the early signs of the eye condition with proper screenings can improve the results of the treatments despite your diabetes. Other factors that can increase your risk for glaucoma are:

• Ethnicity.
• Family history.
• Previous eye injury.
• Myopia.

Diabetes Contributes to Glaucoma

Studies show that diabetes increases your risk of developing glaucoma. Diabetes leads to the inflammation of the macula. This condition is known as diabetic macular edema. The macula helps you see faces, drive, and read. The edema can remove your sharp vision, which can lead to total or partial blindness. Macular edema can develop if you already have diabetic retinopathy. 

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common type of diabetic eye disease. It can increase your risk of glaucoma. It affects people diagnosed with diabetes for a very long time. The risk of glaucoma increases with high blood pressure and age. 

Knowing how diabetes is associated with glaucoma can help you take the steps to slow the progression of this eye disease. At Green Eye Care, we help our patients understand the risks of developing eye diseases. This allows them to get early treatments. Please visit our clinic in New York, New York, for an in-person consultation. Call us at 332-334-8700 to set an appointment or inquire about our glaucoma screening and treatment packages.