Shocking images show what diabetes REALLY looks like for millions
THESE shocking images give an idea of what millions of people with diabetes have struggled with.
Wavy vision, blurred vision, floaters, colour loss and total vision loss are all symptoms of diabetes.
The condition happens when a person cannot produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels, or their insulin does not work efficiently.
Most people know that diabetes, both types 1 and 2, is when a person has to constantly manage their blood sugar levels.
But did you know one of the key complications of the disease is vision problems, among many others?
It happens because too much sugar in your blood over time can lead to the blockage of the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina.
The retina is a layer of tissue in the back of the eye that senses light and sends images to the brain. It is vital for being able to correctly see what’s in front of you.
Damage to the retina cuts off the blood supply and, as a result, the eye attempts to grow new blood vessels, Mayo Clinic explains.
But these new blood vessels don't develop properly and can leak easily. This causes a whole host of problems for vision.
More than 4.9 million people in the UK have diabetes, and another 850,000 are estimated to be living with it undiagnosed.
According to Lenstore, some 1,700 people living with diabetes have their sight seriously affected by their condition every year in the UK.
Roshni Patel, expert optometrist and eye specialist at Lenstore, said: “If you ever face a vision change, whether it's blurring, distortions, or the ability to perceive things at different distances, it's always important to speak to your optometrist as soon as possible.
“Blurring and distortions can be a sign of something serious, and the sooner you catch any risk the better the chances are that it'll be possible to treat it.”
The contact lens provider produced a series of photos that illustrate how diabetes can cause distortion in vision using landmarks in the UK.
Wavy vision
High blood sugar levels can cause the lens of your eye to swell, which as a result can cause both your vision to become distorted.
The effects of this can be both short and long-term.
Blurred vision
Short-term vision loss is often a result of fluid moving in and out of the eye as a result of high blood sugar levels, which then can cause the lens to swell.
As the lens is the part that focuses on the light, this is where the blurred sight emerges from.
Long-term effects of blurred vision often come from uncontrolled diabetes conditions and is a result of high blood sugar levels damaging small blood vessels over a period of time.
The retina is affected, causing you to experience blurred vision.
Floaters
Floaters appear as white or translucent visual blockers that come and go, and move around within your vision.
These floaters can often be a symptom of a more serious diabetic-related eye condition, such as diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetic retinopathy is when the blood vessels in your retina become damaged.
Floaters can also be a sign of diabetic macular edema, which sees a build-up of fluid in the centre of the retina or macular.
The maclar is the area of the eye responsible for your sharp vision and most of your colour vision.
Colour loss
When someone with diabetes starts losing their colour vision, it's typically the blues and yellows.
Colour vision loss can worsen with the severity of other related diabetes eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy.
Colour blindness is a condition where patients are unable to see the correct colour of their surroundings.
Vision loss
Whilst diabetes does not cause blindness, it increases your chance of developing serious eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy.
Over time these conditions can lead to a permanent loss of vision if left untreated.
If your blood sugar levels are managed, you can slow down and reduce the severity of its impact on your vision.
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