People with diabetes can reduce their risk of developing vision problems if they consume a healthy and balanced diet, according to a new campaign.

The Eye Am What I Eat campaign is aiming to raise awareness of diabetic macular edema (DME), a form of diabetic retinopathy that can lead to significant loss of vision.

Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes and is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults in Ireland. In the early stages, sight is not affected, however if left undetected and untreated vision problems will occur.

Symptoms can include blurred vision and black spots that appear to float in the eye. Around 10% of affected people will go on to develop DME, which can lead to a more rapid loss of vision. However, if caught early, it can be treated effectively.

"If diabetic retinopathy is not detected in the early stages it can lead to vision impairment and even vision loss. Eating well and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are hugely important," commented Dr Mark Cahill of the Royal Victoria Eye and Ear Hospital in Dublin and a spokesperson for the Irish College of Ophthalmologists (ICO).

This was backed up by Sinead Hanley, a senior dietician with Diabetes Ireland, who said that maintaining a healthy lifestyle ‘is key to managing diabetes, maintaining healthy eyes and reducing the risk of developing DME and diabetic retinopathy'.

However, both Dr Cahill and Ms Hanley also highlighted the importance of eye screening for people with diabetes.

"It is essential for anyone with diabetes to have their eyes screened annually in order to detect the signs of diabetic retinopathy as early as possible," Dr Cahill noted.

Diabetic RetinaScreen, which is the national diabetic retinal screening programme, offers free diabetic retinopathy screening to everyone with diabetes over the age of 12.

"I cannot express strongly enough how important it is for everyone, on receipt of their invitation letter, to ring for their appointment. Attending for regular eye screening appointments will significantly improve your chances of avoiding eye problems in the future," Ms Hanley said.

Meanwhile, according to the campaign, the top 10 foods for eye health are avocados, carrots, broccoli, eggs, spinach, kale, tomatoes, sunflower seeds, garlic and salmon. It is calling on people to get directly involved by developing a recipe for eye health using at least one of these ingredients.

Recipes can be submitted here by 5pm on Monday, July 7. Four finalists will be chosen to attend an event on July 23, when a winner will be chosen.

The campaign is being run by Diabetes Ireland, the ICO, the NCBI (National Sight Loss Agency), Fighting Blindness, the Association of Optometrists Ireland and Novartis.

For more information on RetinaScreen, click here
For more information on eye health in general, see our Eye Clinic here