Varying visual acuity can be a first symptom of diabetes mellitus

Changes in visual acuity during the day may indicate diabetes
Many people suffer during the course of the day from fluctuations in vision, which should be checked in the case of clearly perceptible impairment of vision urgently by a doctor. Cause can be an unnoticed diabetes disease. If the visual acuity changes within a day, this is a possible early warning sign for diabetes mellitus, according to the latest release from the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG)..

Strong fluctuations in vision during the day are simply attributed to eye fatigue by many sufferers. But even an undiscovered disease of diabetes can be the trigger. "The number of diabetes diseases is increasing dramatically in Germany" and "an estimated two million people are affected, without knowing about it," reports the DOG. In the case of clearly perceptible changes in visual acuity during the course of the day, a specialist medical examination should be urgently performed.

Often, fluctuations in visual acuity are due to diabetes. In an ophthalmological examination, the damage can be quickly detected by the disease. (Image: Henrik Dolle / fotolia.com)

Often sufferers do not know about their diabetes disorder
"Every week, patients come to our eye clinic who suffer from fluctuations in visual acuity during the course of the day," reports DOG expert Prof. Dr. med. med. Gabriele Lang. The cause of this is usually diabetes mellitus, according to the head of the conservative retinology and laser surgery department of the University Eye Hospital Ulm. Some of the patients did not know about their own metabolic disturbance until the eye examination. "Typical descriptions of these patients are: This morning I have seen blurred, now it is better again," says Prof. Lang. Also, for example, an optimally adjusted glasses after two days later no longer fit.und sufferers see "then suddenly with the new glasses in the distance or near worse again." In many of these cases, the cause of blood sugar fluctuations, which are due to diabetes.

Blood sugar fluctuations affect the eyesight
Increasing blood sugar levels increase the osmotic pressure in the eye, which in turn leads to water retention in the eye lens and thus has an impact on visual acuity, reports Prof. Lang. The shape of the lens changes temporarily, affecting the ability to see sharply. "Anyone who notices such signs should definitely visit an ophthalmologist," emphasizes the DOG expert. The ophthalmologist could "recognize consequences of the metabolic disease with a simple examination of the fundus," adds Professor. med. Horst Helbig, President of the DOG. Both the early detection and regular examinations of the eye are important in diabetes, because otherwise threaten serious retinal damage.

Damage to the retina
During a specialist examination, the vessels of the retina, the retina, can be examined by means of a reflection of the ocular fundus, and diabetes-related changes can be detected - even before the metabolic disease manifests itself with other symptoms, reports the DOG. Depending on the severity of the disease, the examination revealed small red spots on the retina. "These are bleeding or sloughing on the vessels, so-called microaneurysms," explains Prof. Lang. As further pathological changes, swelling, neovascularization of the retina or vitreous hemorrhage can be seen. If the question of a known diabetes disease is answered by those affected, we refer the family doctor or an internist to have the patients examined for diabetes, according to Prof. Lang.

Threatening blindness of those affected
If the metabolic disorder is not recognized and progresses unchecked, the blood sugar increasingly harms the small blood vessels that provide the retina with nutrients, explain the DOG experts. Eighty percent of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus would have diabetic retinopathy after twenty years. In the industrialized nations, this is the most common cause of blindness of working age. "Regular eye examinations are therefore very important for diabetic patients, especially since the disease is symptomless for the patient for a long time," says Prof. Gabriele Lang. (Fp)