Diabetic Eye Disease
Medical Author:
Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS
Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACSAndrew A. Dahl, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Dr. Dahl's educational background includes a BA with Honors and Distinction from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, and an MD from Cornell University, where he was selected for Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. He had an internal medical internship at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center. Medical Editor:
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical EditorMelissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.
Diabetes: Don't Let It Kill YouMedical Author: Benjamin C. Wedro, MD, FAAEM
The treatment of diabetes is theoretically easy. Balance the glucose intake in the diet with the amount of energy the body needs to do its chores, and then add medications by mouth or insulin injections to make it all happen. Reality isn't that easy, and for many people, poorly controlled diabetes leads to problems years later. Small blood vessels start to become narrow and fragile. Organs lose blood supply and begin to fail, slowly at first, but then life-threatening events can occur. Heart attacks, kidney failure, poor circulation in the feet (sometimes requiring amputation), and blindness are just some of the effects of blood sugar levels that remain chronically too high. Diabetic Eye Disease OverviewDiabetes mellitus is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide, and, in the United States, it is the most common cause of blindness in people younger than 65 years of age. In addition to being a leading cause of blindness, diabetic eye disease encompasses a wide range of problems that can affect the eyes.
Diabetes mellitus may also result in heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and circulatory abnormalities of the legs. The American Diabetes Association estimates that 20 million people in the United States have diabetes. One-third of this population is unaware of their illness. A recent change in the exact definitions of diabetes and "pre-diabetes" by an international expert committee leads to the estimate that an additional 41 million people in the United States (40% of adults aged 40-74 years) have "pre-diabetes," a condition that significantly increases their risk for developing diabetes. This new definition underscores the importance for everyone to take steps to help prevent the development of this disease. Individuals can try to avoid the problems associated with diabetes mellitus, including those that affect the eyes, by taking appropriate care of themselves by:
Lifestyle management has been shown to reduce the risk of developing type II diabetes and pre-diabetes by at least two-thirds. It can also slow or halt the progression of pre-diabetes to diabetes. If you or someone you know has already been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, the following steps should also be taken: 
Viewer Comments & ReviewsDiabetic Eye Disease - SymptomsThe eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:What are the symptoms of your diabetic eye disease? |
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Diabetic Eye Disease
Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar) »
Hypoglycemia Overview
Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is a commonly perceived problem. In actuality, while some or many of the symptoms may be present, it is rarely confirmed or documented. The presence of true, documented hypoglycemia in the absence of diabetes treatment must be evaluated comprehensively by an endocrinologist. Hypoglycemia most often affects those at the extremes of age, such as infants and the elderly, but may happen at any age. Generally, hypoglycemia is defined as a serum glucose level (the amount of sugar or glucose in your blood) below 70 mg/dL.
As a medical problem, hypoglycemia is diagnosed by the presence of three key features (known as Whipple's triad). Whipple's triad is:
- symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia,
- a low plasma glucose concentration, and
- relief of symptoms after the plasma glucose level is raised.
Symptoms of hypoglycemia typically appear at levels below 60 m...
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Macular Edema, Diabetic »
Over the last several decades, there have been a few large-scale trials that have influenced the management of diabetic complications in the eye.
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