Simply put, diabetics have too much sugar (glucose) in their bloodstream, which can lead to damage of the small blood vessels in the body, most notably the eyes, the kidneys, and the feet. In the back of the eye (the retina), early damage can be seen as small hemorrhages (spots of blood) which can then lead to larger hemorrhages, leaking of blood vessels, swelling inside the eye, and more if better blood sugar control is not established. If changes are seen on the retina, it is very likely that there is damage to other small blood vessels elsewhere in the body.
It is recommended that all diabetics have annual eye exams with pupil dilation. Diabetes is the #1 cause of blindness in the U.S. and early detection and treatment is better than later.
A pain in one of my eyes woke me up in the middle of the night. It felt as if something was scratching my eye. I tried flushing my eye with cold water but that didn’t help and the pain kept me from falling back asleep. The next day I went to Dr. Mike’s office and explained what had happened. He made time to see me right away and determined that although my eyeball was ok, something was lodged underneath my eyelid. A few minutes later he was able to extract it and the pain was gone. I want to thank Dr. Mike for being there for me when I really needed someone.