Health encyclopaedia

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Prevention of Diabetic retinopathy

Poor control of diabetes and smoking are risk factors. Therefore it is important to control blood sugar levels, not to smoke and to ensure that blood pressure and cholesterol are checked.

Most sight loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented and early diagnosis is vital. Because the vision is not usually affected by diabetic retinopathy until it is at an advanced stage, regular (usually annual) eye checks are extremely important. Vision may be good but changes can be taking place to the retina that can be treated.

The longer people have had diabetes and the less tightly the disorder is controlled, the greater the risk.

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