Type 2 diabetes happens when your body is not able to properly process food as energy. When you have diabetes, your body either does not respond to or does not produce insulin – the hormone that delivers glucose to the body cells. According to doctors, having too much glucose in your bloodstream leads to damage to the blood vessels and nerves that run throughout your body, including to the eyes.
Eyes are sensitive organs that cannot sustain repeated damage to the optic nerve, leading to glaucoma – a condition which may not cause any obvious symptoms so many people do not become aware that they are losing their eyesight unless serious harm gets done. “Usually, the illness gradually reduces a person's field of vision until only the items directly in front of them are visible, a condition known as tunnel vision. Glaucoma might result in irreversible blindness if treatment is not received,” Dr.
Uday Tekchandani, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Dr. Agarwals Eye Hospital, told Times Now. How does diabetes lead to glaucoma? According to Dr.
Tekchandani, when the blood vessels in your retina become damaged, they lead to abnormal blood vessels growing in your eye - known as neurovascular glaucoma. These blood vessels block your eye’s natural drainage system, increasing your eye pressure, thereby causing glaucoma. Many studies say diabetic retinopathy increases the risk of glaucoma as high blood sugar causes an increase in a specific glycoprotein known as fibronectin to form in.