Has an excess of sugary sweets affected your eyesight?
After indulging in that luscious box of Valentine’s chocolates, and the euphoria has waned somewhat, have you noticed the presence of dry eye, a headache, or blurred vision? An excess of sugary sweets can and will affect your vision, especially if you are a diabetic. In people who are not chronically ill with diabetes, the effects are only temporary. However, anyone who consistently over-indulges in sweets can create permanent problems with their vision.
The Age Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) has discovered the direct connection between eating sugary sweets and severe eye health problems. For people at risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), it is most advantageous to keep simple sugars and carbohydrates to a minimum in their daily food consumption in order to reduce the risk and/or advancement of this debilitating eye disorder, which can cause blindness.
Also, cataracts have been determined to be formed from the excessive consumption of sugars causing the proteins to break down in the lens resulting in surgery to replace the lens for clearer vision. With the less severe condition of dry eye, it is believed that glucose spikes transport the glucose to the eyes far to rapidly for the eyes to properly utilize the energy from the glucose in order to produce tears in a normal manner, thus aggravating the dry eye condition.
Diabetics report a much higher rate of dry eye conditions and cataracts.
Although diabetes is not only the result of consuming an excess of simple sugars and carbohydrates (it is a far more complex chronic disease), other eye diseases result from continuous high glucose levels. Diabetic retinopathy is a disease of the retina where small blood vessels become blocked and damaged. It can be present without any signs or symptoms before it is actually diagnosed.
Enjoy sweet treats on special occasions!
However, if you have continually over-indulged in sweets, and want to know how it has affected your vision, make an appointment at West Side Eye Clinic. We can be reached at (504) 347-8434. For more information, you can submit a request at info@westsideeyeclinic.com. We are located at 4601 Wichers Drive in Marrero and are at your service Monday through Wednesday from 9am – 5pm; Thursday and Friday from 9am – 4pm; and by appointment only on Saturday. Your complete eye health is our top priority!
The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
