Look after your eyes, look after your mob

Looking after your eyes is important, especially when you have diabetes.

People with diabetes have an increased risk of eye problems. It can sometimes lead to poor vision and blindness.

You, or someone in your mob may notice blurry vision, or you might see spots floating around when you are looking at things. You might be sensitive to bright light, or you may see dark patches.

Good news – you can prevent it

If you get your eyes checked now and keep checking them regularly, most vision loss from diabetes can be prevented, even if you don’t have symptoms right now. The earlier the treatment, the better.

Getting a diabetes eye check is easy and is usually free. You can talk to your doctor or Aboriginal Health Worker or book directly with an optometrist. The check only takes about 30 minutes.

What is a diabetes eye check?

An optometrist will take a photo of the back of your eye. The optometrist will examine your eyes and look at the photo to check the tiny blood vessels at the back of your eyes for any damage.

Your optometrist may give you eye drops to help them see the back of your eye.

For a short time, the drops might make your eyes sensitive to light, so bring your sunglasses. Be prepared to wait a while for your vision to return to normal, or ask a friend or family member to join you if you have to drive.

Treatment

Treatment may not be needed straight away. It's a good idea to keep having eye checks every year to keep on top of things.

You can slow down, or even prevent eye problems by keeping your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol at the right levels.

If your eye problems keep getting worse, your doctor might refer you to a specialist.

Sign up for reminders

At your eye check, tell them you have diabetes and that you would like to register with the KeepSight program. That way, you can be sent reminders to get your eyes checked when it’s time.

Sign up for KeepSight