Diabetes and Eye Disease: What I wish someone had explained to me when I was first diagnosed with DME.

If you are reading this and you have DME, you have probably done a search on Google looking for information and most of it was either confusing or not very useful.  If you are anything like me, you had never even heard of it.

People tell you that if diabetes goes untreated all sorts of scary things can happen, including going blind. No one informed me that even treating my diabetes - this can happen.

What is Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) in plain English?

The macula detects light and sends signals to the brain, which interprets them as images. The rest of the retina processes our peripheral (side) vision. Macular disease causes loss of central vision.

What are the symptoms?

Images that are right in front of you may appear wavy or blurred like you are looiking through water in certain spots.  Colors may appear “washed out”.  The room appears dark at times like when you walk in from the sun.

Diabetic related eye disorders can go unnoticed for years. Mine was detected during a routine eye exam where I paid for the extra "optional" exams - long before I recognized the symptoms.  I was always told it was possible, but when I was diagnosed I remember feeling shocked and relieved at the same time. Shocked that I had developed it, yet relieved I caught it in time to treat it.

When I was first told I had anything wrong, I did not receive a name for what was going on. I was told that my eyes were leaking blood and lipids that distorted my vision and that was the reason they could not get my prescription right.

I had no idea that meant I was developing Diabetic Retinopathy or Diabetic Macular Edema until I saw a specialist.

For that reason, persons with diabetes are highly encouraged to have an annual dilated eye exam by an ophthalmologist. This eye examination is comprehensive and should include visual acuity testing, eye pressure examination (tonometry), pupil dilation examination, and more. By doing this comprehensive examination, your eye doctor looks for leaking blood vessels, nerve tissue damage, and swelling. Early detection and treatment offer the best chance at preserving vision. Do not treat it as an option.

How did I get it?

I got it from my BgL being out of control for years. That is the long and short of it. Why it was out of control is another story.

How do I treat it?

I am currently being injected with medicine in both of my eyes. It was not the first medicine they tried on me and I am not promoting any particular medication or treatment. I am not a doctor.

Is there a cure?

Multiple treatments are available to reduce swelling of blood vessels and slow down fluid leakage (laser treatments), as well as injections to reverse abnormal blood vessel growth. For more information on diabetes and diabetic eye disease, check out www.DiabetesSightRisk.com. In addition to eye disease information, check out the resources tab for information on finding an eye doctor. Don’t forget your FREE diabetes-related items, too.