Bupa says that around half of the 1.8 million Australians living with diabetes are at risk of vision loss or blindness without regular eye tests.
Diabetes that is not effectively managed can result in a higher risk of vision loss. Diabetes is a condition that affects blood vessels. This means that consistently high blood sugar levels can impact the small blood vessels in the eyes and inner ear.
Bupa Optical optometrist Karen Makin said conditions like diabetic retinopathy that affect the blood vessels at the back of the eye often give no visual symptoms and can be undetected under normal conditions as changes to eyesight happen slowly over time.
“Symptoms often don’t emerge until the later stages of the condition when people suffer vision loss, experience giddiness or unexpected changes to their weight.
“The good news is that regular eye tests can help detect early signs of diabetes or help detect emerging issues for those already living with the disease,” she said.
Bupa Optical offers customers its artificial intelligence-enabled eye tests and tailored reports. They enable early detection of general health problems such as diabetes along with other eye and general health issues.
“Technology such as EyeInspect was developed with the knowledge that the eye is a window into the heart and enables our team to provide people with more information about their general health which they can discuss with their doctor if and when recommended,” said Ms Makin.