Diabetics Without Eye Problems?

My father has been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, about 10 years ago and has been on insulin for the last 2-3 years. All his eye check-ups were clean.

Today we went to another ophthalmologist. He stated he had operated 27000 people and examined even more, and he had never seen a diabetic that has suffered the disease for this long and had no eye injury. All through the rest of his speech, he implied that having diabetes without eye problems is impossible.

Has anyone ever experienced something similiar, or if you're a physician, do you have any opinions on the subject?

Thanks in advance

The longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to develop other physical problems. All diabetics have some changes within the eyes, and that's one reason sometimes the opthamologist or optician will send you to a doctor for a checkup after he does an exam. Sometimes it's the only symptom the person has, until the full workup is done. I think the problem with the opthamologist is that by nature, he would be seeing the diabetic patients who are having problems. I think the main reason they are having those problems is more likely because they haven't kept good control of their disease. I know that the longer you have diabetes, especially if it requires insulin for control, the more likely you are to develop other problems as a result. The diabetes has an effect on the cardiovascular system all over body anyway, which is why diabetics have peripheral blood supply troubles in their hands and feet. Put it this way- would you expect to see folks in the opthamologist's office that didn't have eye problems? Or primarily those that did? Sort of like going to the hospital and being surprised to find that most of the people there were ill. I don't think having diabetes means that eye problems are a foregone conclusion, but it does raise the risks for it more so than folks without diabetes face. Like all things, if you know there is a risk and do what you can to avoid it, you are more likely to be sucessful. If your dad does whatever he can to lower the amount of insulin he requires, or to even return to control with medication, diet and exercise, he will lower his personal risk. The opthamologist's prediction doesn't mean it has to come true. He's not a fortune teller- and he can't predict the exact future. All he can do is predict a possible future, based on experience. He should be also considering all sides of his patients, not simply the one common disease factor. What's most important is how well controlled your dad is- not the fact he's got diabetes.

if your dad has kept his blood sugars under control, then it is less likely he'll have problems. i've been diabetic for almost 10 years now, and i have no eye problems. my mom has been diabetes for about 25 years, and she also doesn't have any eye problems. we see one of the best eye doctors around...as a matter of fact all of our doctors are some of the best doctors around. so as long as he keeps his diabetes in decent control, it will take longer, if at all depending on how well it's controlled, to develop problems.

i know you said your dad is type 2, but controlling blood sugars with either type 1 or 2 is the most important thing and effects both pretty much the same way.

I have been diabetic for almost 11 years. I have been on insulin for about four. Each check up at the eye doctor have been excellent. Uncontrolled Diabetes is more likely to cause eye problems. So, the key is to keep blood sugars in control! That is not to say that you still won't have eye problems but they would (for your father) be less likely to be severe.

WOW!! that just goes to show what tight control will do for a diabetic!!!

But since we are all totally unique individuals, there are no givens in this disease!!! Your father is very lucky to have escaped the eye problems most of us have. The opthamologist is wrong in that ALL diabetics have eye diseases or damage.

Diabetes is a very individual disease!! It doesn't affect each of us the same way!!! I have absolutely no neuropathy problems!! My podiatrist is always amazed at that, after 10 years and on oral meds and insulins!!!