Diabetes & Keratoconus: Steps to Change Your Life

August 22nd, 2011

Diabetes can wreak havoc on your vision alone. However when you are diagnosed with both diabetes and Keratoconus it can cause many more problems. The truth is that Keratoconus changes the shape of your cornea and diabetes damages the blood vessels throughout your eyes. With so much damage these conditions cause the risk of severe vision loss is possible. Ensuring that you are being monitored and seeing your doctors regularly is extremely important.

When having more than one chronic condition it is important to have proper treatment management. Checking with your doctor regularly about what treatment options are best, and what tests need to be done is important. Visiting your eye doctor every 6 months can help prevent further damage and catch things early.

 

Below are some signs & Symptoms of Diabetes & Keratoconus:

Symptoms of Diabetes:

 

Increased Thirst

Frequent Urination

Increased irritability

Frequent Infections

Blurred Vision

Tingling & Numbness in Feet & hands

Unusual Weight Loss

 

Symptoms of Keratoconus

 

Blurred Vision

Frequent Prescription Changes

Frequent Headaches

Seeing Halos & Glares

Decreased Night Vision

For more information regarding diabetes visit WebMD.com.

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Did You Know That Frequent Changes in Your Prescription Can be a Sign of Keratoconus?

August 7th, 2011

Keratoconus is a progressive condition and sometimes runs in families. While just because you have it in your family doesn’t mean you will develop it, this can increase your risk of getting it. For those of you who have to have constant changes to your prescription may do well to visit a specialist in Keratoconus as this can be a sign of more serious conditions. There are several other symptoms but catching the condition early can help to improve your quality of vision and protect your vision in the future.

Delayed diagnosis of Keratoconus can cause the need for a corneal transplant which would require you to have a long and more painful recovery. New advancements in treatment of Keratoconus are improving the quality of vision for the patient as well as causing a large percentage to not require a corneal transplant in the future. Below are some of the signs and symptoms of Keratoconus:

Blurred vision

Frequent Prescription changes

Sensitivity to light

Poor night vision

Headaches

Straining of the eyes

Sudden Cloudiness in your vision

Though there are many good eye doctors not all are using all the available options. Additionally make sure you are comfortable with your eye care professionals and be sure to let them know of any visual changes. It just might preserve your vision!

More helpful information is available at the American Academy of Opthamology

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Discovering a Family History of Keratoconus

August 4th, 2011

If you have a family history of Keratoconus you may already be familiar with some of the treatments of the condition. However over the past 10 years there has been great advancements in the treatments used for Keratoconus. So the treatment plans that may have been used in the past for your family members like corneal transplants are rarely needed to treat the condition. In fact 95% or more of patients diagnosed with Keratoconus never need a corneal transplant.

There are several new treatments that have been developed for use in patients with Keratoconus. These treatments often lead to a greater improvement in the quality of vision for the patients for now and in the future. The progression of the condition often slows, or stops with some treatments. Designing a treatment plan is a great first step in your treatments. Below are some of the signs of Keratoconus. If you have any of these signs, and a family history consult your eye care professional.

Below you will find the symptoms of Keratoconus. If you have or had any of the following symptoms it is wise to report them to your eye doctor right away:

Problems with night vision

Headaches

Eye strain

Sudden clouding of vision

Frequent prescription changes

Blurred or distorted vision

Increased sensitivity to light

Halos around lights at night

Double vision

Remember that your eyes are your key to the world. And while we can make it without our vision it is important to take care of the eyes you have. Be sure to go to the eye doctor once a year, every 6 months if you have underlining conditions like diabetes type 2, cataracts, Keratoconus, etc. Your vision is important to the quality of your life. So improve your quality of vision by finding the right doctor and keeping up with your yearly checkups.

For more information on Keratoconus visit Wikipedia.

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