Don’t turn blind eye to diabetes

Diabetic patients are being urged to attend regular eye exams with specialist ophthalmologists to prevent unnecessary blindness, according to local doctors. Diabetic macular edema (DME), a complication of diabetes that causes fluid to accumulate in the central portion of the eye resulting in blurred vision, can lead to loss of sight and total blindness without adequate treatment, and can often occur without symptoms prior to vision loss. The warning came ahead of the diabetic retinopathy congress taking place in Dubai on Friday, where specialist doctors across UAE will meet to discuss advancements in the methods of management and treatment of DME. “Many patients with DME come in for an eye exam in the very late stages of the disease, when they are close to or already blind. It is completely unnecessary for them to be suffering in this way. A simple, routine eye exam is all that’s needed to diagnose the disease, and there is treatment available that can prevent further vision loss and indeed restore vision before it is irreversible,” said Dr Fatima Al Amiri, head of Ophthalmology at Al Kuwaiti and Al Qassimi hospitals and chairperson of the meeting. Depending on how well a patient is controlling their diabetes and related illnesses, it is recommended that diabetic patients see an ophthalmologist every six months at the very most, sometimes even once a month in severe cases added Dr Al Amiri. “Just because, during one visit, there is no sign of DME, doesn’t mean that in 6 months the complication would definitely not manifest — especially if diabetic control starts to lapse. Sometimes patients assume that after this one visit they are fine, and then never return despite our recommendations,” she continued. DME is a leading cause of blindness among the working-age population in most developed countries and affects up to 12 per cent of those with diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease that develops in about 40 per cent of those with diabetes. Diabetes affects approximately 20 per cent of the population in the UAE and DME is directly linked to poor blood sugar control that underscores the disease.