Fear causes blindness

Diabetes remains a devastating disease in the CNMI. Unfortunately, I’m seeing more a more people whose eyes are affected by it, and lose their vision. I would like to spend some time in the next several columns discussing some of the issues related to diabetic blindness. You may not have diabetes, but chances are that someone you love and care about does. By understanding the issues surrounding diabetic eye disease, you can help them keep their sight. So this is important information for most of us here in the CNMI. Let’s get started.

Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness in the developed world. I’m not talking about places where there are no medications, no doctors, no treatments available. I’m talking about places like this, where you live. Sometimes, blindness from diabetes is unavoidable. It can happen despite the best care. But what is truly tragic is the blindness that happens to people is unnecessary. In those tragic cases, it happens because people don’t get the care they need. The care is available, and accessible to them, but they are held back from getting the care by fear.

If you have diabetes, the fact that you are reading this tells me you’re interested in saving your sight. My job is to help you get the care you need. In my experience, the number one cause of blindness in diabetes is fear. We all have a fear of the unknown. You may wonder, what will the doctor tell me? What will the exam be like? What if the doctor recommends a treatment I’ve never heard of? In addition to fear of the unknown, we also have a fear of being sick. You may not want to know that your eyes are sick. You may notice your vision getting worse, but you’re afraid to find out why. You don’t want to be told your eyes are getting damaged, or that your vision is getting worse, or that you have a new complication of diabetes to deal with in your life.

All of these are real fears, and my patients share them with me every day. But it is these fears that cause many to avoid the care and treatment they need, and to ultimately go blind. I hope you’re not one of these people. I hope that I can remove those fears for you, and help you preserve your vision for your entire lifetime. I can’t promise you that diabetes won’t take your sight. But I help you improve your chances of keeping your vision with a few simple steps. But first, we must conquer your fear.

Next time, we’ll look a little more closely at your fears.

Copyright © 2008 David Khorra[/I]m