If you’ve got diabetes, then you’re probably more than familiar with regular eye checks and the very particular care you received from your ophthalmologist. There’s a very complex relationship between the disease and the formation of cataracts, with one of the most important being that it hastens their evolution.
Your eye doctor has probably discussed this with you. But, as one of the leading eye clinics in the world for everything and anything to do with cataracts, we’re also aware that, as medical professionals, we often don’t simplify information enough to make it easy for those with no medical knowledge to understand.
So, let’s try and put that right…
While we can’t go into huge detail in a short article, what we can do is discuss the main points you need to know about having cataract surgery with diabetes.
Having diabetes puts you at a higher risk for cataracts. Yes, everyone gets them at some point (pretty much 100% of people will either have them or have had them removed by their 80s). But if you have diabetes then you’re likely to be diagnosed at a younger age.
This is because:
The disease speeds up the formation of the proteins within the eye that are the cause of cataracts.
Elevated blood glucose affects the eye lens, which in turn increases the rate at which cataracts can form.
Other aspects also have a bearing, such as smoking, alcohol, excessive UV exposure, and your age.
Once your cataract is deemed ripe for surgery, which is usually when it’s causing significant vision changes, your surgeon will need to time this with good diabetic control. Excessive blood glucose levels dramatically increase the risk of complications. This makes it really important that you work to ensure your sugars are stable.
The recommended levels are a fasting level of 140 and less than 200 after eating. You can help ensure these are achieved through a consistent diet, monitoring your levels, and adhering to your prescribed medication.
The greatest risk of cataract surgery for diabetics is the changes within the blood vessels within the eye. High sugar levels can cause them to leak (macular edema) and grow abnormally within the retina (diabetic retinopathy). The disease also affects how quickly the body heals and the likelihood of infection.
The healing and infection issues can be helped with careful monitoring of your blood glucose, taking your meds, and eating healthily—factors that only you are in control of. Not only will this reduce the risk of post-op problems, but it will benefit your general all-round health as well.
When it comes to healing after cataract surgery, diabetes sufferers should expect this to be a little more prolonged. Because of the increased risk of complications, you’ll not only have regular monitoring, but we can’t overstate how important it is for you to ensure exemplary diabetic care.
Yes, it’s a pain. But the more effort you put into keeping your sugar levels stable, the faster the healing process and the less likely you’ll be to experience any issues.
You’ll be given detailed instructions on how to:
The key takeaway from this is that the better you manage your diabetes, the more likely you are to have a great outcome. At the Modern Cataract Surgery Clinic, we’re highly experienced in treating diabetic patients who need surgery. Excitingly, we can also offer one of the latest lens advancements—those that can be adjusted whilst within the eye.
One issue with performing cataract surgery for diabetics is that it can be challenging to predict how the eye will respond to the artificial lens. These new lenses can have the prescription altered once in situ, something that is, quite honestly, a game changer in the field.
Visit https://www.moderncataractsurgery.com/ to discover more about our cataract services for diabetics and the new light-adjustable lenses. Our friendly team is only a phone call away…
