Diabetes can affect vision It may seem that diabetes has nothing to do with vision, but funduscopic disease is also a major complication of diabetes, especially if the duration of diabetes is long, the higher the chance of developing diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, Dr. Hong Yu, deputy chief of ophthalmology at the Second Hospital of Fujian Medical University, reminds that once diabetes is diagnosed, early fundus examination is required for early detection and treatment. Diabetic retinopathy can cause severe blindness According to Dr. Hong, the so-called diabetic retinopathy first appears in the fundus with microangiomas and small hemorrhages, and as the disease progresses, hard exudates and soft exudates appear, and later vitreous hemorrhages and proliferative lesions appear, causing retinal detachment and leading to blindness. Diabetic retinopathy is an important cause of blindness in patients over the age of 50 and is the leading cause of blindness in the West. Diabetes can cause lesions in all tissues of the eye, and retinopathy is the most serious complication of irreversible blindness. Thus, diabetic retinopathy cannot be ignored. Patients with diabetic retinopathy are often puzzled by the fact that their blood glucose has been well controlled in recent years, but how can they develop diabetic retinopathy? This is because diabetic retinopathy is related to the duration of the disease and the degree of glycemic control. 26% of diabetic patients with a disease duration of 10-15 years develop diabetic retinopathy, and 63% of those with a disease duration of 15 years or more. Also, in terms of treatment, different treatment methods can be chosen depending on the condition. On the basis of strict blood sugar control, medication and retinal laser treatment are available. For severe lesions such as vitreous hemorrhage and retinal detachment, the patient must be hospitalized for “vitrectomy” surgery combined with total retinal photocoagulation. In addition, Dr. Hong said that the early treatment of diabetic retinopathy is more effective, but once the vision is lost, the treatment is limited to save the vision, that is, retinopathy is often difficult to reverse, so prevention is still the most important part. Therefore, it is recommended to always strictly control blood glucose, blood pressure and lipids, and perform regular fundus examinations to detect diabetic retinopathy as early as possible and to intervene in the treatment to preserve useful vision. Especially when diabetic patients over 40 years of age undergo a general physical examination, a fundus examination is a very important part, as it allows early detection of retinal pathology. It is also important to pay attention to the control of blood sugar, blood pressure and blood lipids, which are extremely important for the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy, because elevated blood sugar can cause further damage to the microvasculature of the fundus, and high blood pressure and high blood lipids are risk factors for the development of diabetic retinopathy. In addition, diabetes has an effect on the eyes, but also on the heart, brain and kidneys. Therefore, diabetic patients should go to the hospital regularly for a full body checkup on the basis of blood sugar control.