Eye and Dental Care
Eye care
Possible eye problems (diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataract) associated with diabetes often have NO symptoms in the early, most treatable stages. Therefore, you should have a comprehensive dilated eye examination every year from an eye doctor (optometrist or ophthalmologist), even if you don't notice anything wrong.
A comprehensive dilated eye exam must include eye drops that allow your eye doctor to see the blood vessels in your eyes more clearly. In addition you should visit your eye doctor at the first signs of any of the following:
- blurred or double vision
- feeling pressure or pain in the eyes
- seeing dark spots
- unusual difficulty seeing in dim light
- narrowed field of vision
To further reduce your risk of eye problems, you should be sure your blood pressure is controlled, your blood sugar is controlled, and avoid smoking.
Dental care
High blood sugar increases your risk for tooth and gum problems. To help prevent these problems, you should:
- Brush and floss every day.
- See your dentist at least every 6 months.
- Tell your dentist you have diabetes.
Sick days: special information
- Always take your insulin or diabetes pills.
- Test your blood sugar before each meal and at bedtime.
- Test your urine for ketones if blood sugars are greater than 240 mg/dL.
- Follow your meal plan if you can eat. If you can't eat, you should try to take in at least 4 oz. of a sugar-containing beverage every hour to keep your blood sugar from falling too low.
Call your doctor when:
- You are vomiting and unable to keep down foods, liquids, or diabetes pills.
- Your illness lasts longer than 24 hours.
- Ketones are present in your urine.
- All blood sugars are higher than 240 mg/dL for more than one day.
When the above symptoms occur, insist on speaking to your doctor or nurse to let them know something is wrong.
