AAO offers vision loss advice to those with diabetes

San Francisco-In observance of American Diabetes Month this November, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) is reminding the 25.8 million Americans living with diabetes of the key steps they should take to prevent vision loss.

Those steps are:

·      Get a comprehensive dilated eye exam from your ophthalmologist once a year, regardless of age.

·      Maintain close-to-normal blood glucose levels.

·      Maintain healthy blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

·      Quit smoking.

·      Exercise regularly.

Careful diabetes management is the best way to prevent vision loss, according to theAAO.

“Much too frequently patients with diabetes come to me when it’s too late, and they are already going blind due to their heightened risk for eye disease,” said John Kitchens, MD, a retina specialist and clinical spokesperson for the AAO. “”It is very sad to think that, if only they had acted sooner and had a simple dilated eye exam each year, we could have intervened and saved their vision.

“Bottom line is: if you have diabetes, don’t take this advice lightly, no matter your age,” he said.

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