Blindness

Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. However, that does not have to be the case. Tight blood sugar control and regular blood pressure monitoring coupled with regular eye examinations are important to prevent this complication of diabetes. Besides blindness, people with diabetes also may be at a higher risk of edema and cataracts.

A person with diabetes should consult an eye doctor if any of these situations apply:

• your vision becomes blurry
• you have trouble reading signs or books
• you see double
• one or both of your eyes hurt
• your eyes get red and stay that way
• you feel pressure in your eye
• you see spots or floaters
• straight lines do not look straight
• you can’t see things at the side as you used to

If you have RA, you are also at greater risk of having Sjogren’s syndrome. This results in chronic dry eyes. Sjogerns is a chronic autoimmune disease like RA and Type 1 diabetes (Mayo Clinic ). Like diabetes, people with rheumatoid arthritis also have regular eye examinations but especially if they have dry eyes.

Here are two additional resources for Blindness: