People lose their sight for many reasons, but in the United States, diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness. More specifically, a condition called diabetic macular edema (DME), which occurs after prolonged periods of untreated diabetic retinopathy, is to blame. This article will detail how people living with DME related to type 1 or type 2 diabetes can safeguard their sight and reduce further complications.
What Causes DME?
DME is caused by poor glucose control and consistently high blood pressure. When left unchecked, these issues damage small blood vessels, which include the blood vessels found in the eyes. The best way to protect your vision is to seek early treatment for diabetes and its complications.
Diabetic retinopathy precedes the development of DME, often by several years. It damages the blood vessels in the retina, resulting in vision impairment and, over time, allowing fluid to leak into the fovea. Since this is the part of the eye where straight-ahead vision occurs, the swelling of this part of the macula caused by fluid leads to blurred vision. People with DME can also develop double vision and a sudden increase in eye floaters.
Preventing DME
Not everyone with diabetes develops DME, although many acquire diabetic retinopathy as the disease progresses. Preventing sight loss associated with diabetes is simple. It requires:
- Maintaining healthy blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels
- Receiving a dilated eye exam on at least an annual basis
- Undergoing more frequent testing during pregnancy
- Maintaining a healthy lifestyle
The good news about preventing DME is that most of the strategies for controlling diabetes will naturally lend themselves to reducing the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy and subsequent macular edema.
Treatments for DME
Unfortunately, DME can’t be cured or reversed. Successful management of the disease requires careful consideration of the patient’s current lifestyle, health, and treatment goals. Options include the following.
Targeted Pharmaceutical Interventions
There are two classes of drugs that can be used to limit the progression of DME:
Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor medications
Bispecific monoclonal antibody medications
Both of these types of drugs are delivered via an injection into the eye. Once administered, they block the development of new blood vessels and limit fluid leakage. These injections may need to be repeated over time.
Focal Laser
Focal lasers can be used to destroy leaking blood vessels, slowing or even stopping the growth of new abnormal blood vessels that could damage the patient’s vision even more. This treatment may leave permanent blind spots, but it can also help to protect what vision a patient has left and even slightly improve it.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids can be injected into the eye to decrease DME and improve vision. In some cases, they can also be administered via an injectable steroid eye implant for long-term release.
Living With Low Vision
Treating DME can help patients maintain their current vision, but it won’t restore what has already been lost. Learning to live with low vision can be difficult, but it’s perfectly possible to keep living an independent life with the help of low-vision aids like magnifying glasses, telescoping lenses, high-intensity reading lamps, and other devices. Occupational therapy with vision rehabilitation can also be helpful.
Keep Diabetes in Check to Prevent DME
Keeping diabetes in check by adopting a healthy lifestyle, adhering to medication schedules, and following doctors’ advice at home is the key to preventing all kinds of complications, including DME. Ask a physician for advice about how to better protect your eyes against diabetic retinopathy and associated diseases.