Do you have diabetes? Know someone who does? In honor of National Diabetes Awareness Month, I wanted to share a few important facts about diabetes and the eyes:

1. Many people who do not know they have diabetes first find out from their eye doctor. A common complication of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy in which elevated blood sugar damages the delicate blood vessels inside the eye, causing them to leak, bleed, and become blocked. There are 6.2 million people with diabetes who are unaware they have the disease.

2. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults ages 20 to 74. It does not have to be. Having annual eye exams and carefully controlling blood sugar can drastically decrease the risk of vision loss.

3. People with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to develop glaucoma and 60 percent more likely to develop cataracts. Even more reasons for an annual eye exam!

Encourage anyone you know with diabetes or at risk for diabetes to call the office for an appointment to determine their risk for diabetic eye disease.