Holiday Meals and Diabetes: Protecting Your Eyes Through the Season of Pie

From Thanksgiving pie to New Year’s treats, the next six weeks are hard on anyone managing diabetes. November is also Diabetic Eye Disease Month, which makes this a good time to connect what is on your plate with what happens in your eyes.

Short-term blur versus long-term damage

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) explains that high blood glucose can change fluid levels or cause swelling in the parts of the eye that help you focus, which blurs vision. This kind of blur is temporary and goes away when glucose returns closer to normal. People sometimes notice it for a few days or weeks when their diabetes plan or medicines change.

The bigger concern is what happens over years. Diabetes can damage the small blood vessels of the retina, the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye. NIDDK notes that there are often no warning signs when this damage first develops.

The diabetes ABCs protect your eyes too

NIDDK lists the best ways to keep your eyes healthy with diabetes:

• Manage your A1C (average blood glucose), blood pressure and cholesterol.
• If you smoke, get help to quit.
• Have a dilated eye exam once a year, or more often if your doctor recommends it.

Practical tips for the holiday table

• Fill half your plate with vegetables before you reach for the sides.
• Choose one dessert you really love and enjoy a smaller slice.
• Take a family walk after the meal.
• Keep taking your medicines on schedule when you travel or host.
• Check your blood glucose as your care team recommends, especially on big-meal days.

Who should be extra careful

NIDDK notes that African Americans, American Indians and Alaska Natives, Hispanics and Latinos, Pacific Islanders and older adults are at greater risk of losing vision from diabetes. Pregnancy can also make diabetic eye changes develop or worsen quickly, so expectant mothers with diabetes need closer eye checks.

If you cannot remember your last dilated exam, book one before the year ends. Not sure what to expect? Here is a guide to your first visit at our office.

I never ask patients to skip the pie. I ask them to keep their yearly eye exam, so they can keep seeing it clearly.

Source: Diabetic Eye Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH)). This article is an educational summary written by Khanna Vision Institute and is not a substitute for medical advice.