>>>
>>> DIABETES IS COMMON ESPECIALLY AMONG OLDER
ADULTS.THE LATEST DATA SHOWS
THAT ONE IN 10 AMERICANS HAS
DIABETES AND IT CAN AFFECT HER
VISION.
VISION.
VISION. SO ROUTINE RETINAL SCREENINGS
ARE ESSENTIAL.WE HAVE DOCTOR
DAVID BUCHHOLZ HERE FROM
PREMERA BLUE CROSS.
YOU CAN HAVE IT WITHOUT KNOWING
IT RIGHT?
IT RIGHT?
IT RIGHT? >> YES YOU CAN ABSOLUTELY HABIT.
MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIABETES FOR
YEARS BEFORE THEY WERE FIRST
DIAGNOSED.
DIAGNOSED. THIS IS THE INABILITY TO
PROCESS SUGAR IN THE BLOOD.
SO THE SUGAR LEVELS ARE HIGH
AND CAUSES DAMAGE TO THE BLOOD
VESSELS AND AREAS THROUGHOUT
THE BODY.>> SO YOU MIGHT NOT
KNOW THIS UNTIL SYMPTOMS,.
>> USUALLY PEOPLE NOTICE THAT
THEY ARE DRINKING A LOT AND
THEY'RE NOT GAINING WEIGHT LIKE
THEY SHOULD.
THEY SHOULD. BUT THE TYPE THAT IS MOST
COMMON IS TYPE 2.>> OR SOMETIMES
IT IS USUALLY WHEN THEY ARE
YOUNGER.
YOUNGER.
YOUNGER. >> WHAT HAPPENS TO YOUR EYES?
I WOULD NOT EVEN CONNECT THOSE
2.>> THE HIGH LEVELS OF SUGAR
AND ALSO HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE PUT
DAMAGE TO THE EYES.THESE BLOOD
VESSELS ARE DAMAGED AND THEY
DAMAGE THE VISION OVER TIME.
SO THAT'S WHY THE SUGAR CONTROL
IS SO IMPORTANT.
AND BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL CAN
PREVENT IT.
PREVENT IT. WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN
RIGHT NOW IS THE NORMAL RETINA.
YOU CAN SEE THAT SPOT IN THE
CENTER WHICH IS THE OPTIC
NERVE.YOU CAN SEE SOME PRETTY
LARGE RED BLOOD VESSELS COMING
INTO THE RETINA.
THIS IS REALLY PROGRESSIVE OF
DIABETIC RETINOPATHY.
DIABETIC RETINOPATHY. YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET THERE
AND WE ARE TRYING TO PREVENT
THAT.THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
WHEN THERE IS ALREADY VISION
LOSS.
LOSS.
LOSS. YOU
LOSS. YOU SEE AFTER BLOOD VESSELS AND
BLACK SPOTS AND WHITE SPOTS.
THIS IS LOSS OF VISION.>> AT
THAT POINT YOU HAVE SOME PRETTY
SIGNIFICANT VISION LOSS.IS
THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT
IT?
IT?
IT? >>
IT? >> THERE IS TREATMENT THAT
MIGHT HELP REDUCE THE
PROGRESSION.
PROGRESSION. AND YOU CAN GET SOME VISION BACK
BUT THAT IS THE MESSAGE FOR
TODAY, YOU CAN'T GET IT ALL
BACK.YOU NEED TO BE DIAGNOSED
EARLY.
EARLY.
EARLY. YOU NEED TO HAVE AN
OPHTHALMOLOGIST DIAGNOSED 2.--
DIAGNOSED YOU.
DIAGNOSED YOU. >> IF YOU GO FOR YOUR ANNUAL
EYE EXAM, WILL THEY LOOK FOR
THIS?
THIS?
THIS? >>
THIS? >> YES, ABSOLUTELY.
IF YOU TELL THEM SPECIFICALLY
THAT YOU HAVE DIABETES, AND YOU
NEED TO HAVE YOUR EYES CHECKED
COMPLETELY.>> IS THIS PART OF
THE ANNUAL CHECKUP?
>> IT IS IF YOU ARE GETTING A
FULL EYE EXAM.IF YOU'RE JUST
HAVING A VISION EXAM FOR VISION
-- FOR GLASSES OR CONTACT, THEY
MIGHT NOT.YOU SHOULD ALWAYS ASK
FOR, THOUGH.OFTEN BECAUSE
PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE
SYMPTOMS.
SYMPTOMS.
SYMPTOMS. THEY OFTEN CAN ACTUALLY FIND
THIS ON THE VERY FIRST I VISIT.
ALSO, EYE DOCTORS CAN MAKE A
PROBABLE DIAGNOSIS OF DIABETES
BY LOOKING AT THE EYES.
>> LET'S SAY YOU SEE SOME OF
THOSE CHANGES, THEN WHAT?
>> THERE ARE TWO MAJOR TYPES OF
TREATMENT.IT STARTS COAGULATING
IN THE BLOOD VESSELS.SO THAT
CREATES THE SWELLING.
THERE'S ALSO AN INJECTION THAT
CAN BE PUT INTO THE FLUID OF
THE EYEBALL TO REDUCE THAT.>>
THAT SOUNDS SCARY.>> THAT CAN
HELP PREVENT THE PROGRESSION AND
THE LOSS OF VISION.
>> SO THERE'S A NEW EICHER
PROGRAM THAT PRIMERA IS
INVOLVED WITH THAT HELPS PEOPLE
MAKE SURE THEY GET CHECKED OUT.
>> I THINK A LOT OF TIMES THERE
ARE BARRIERS TO EYE EXAMS
BECAUSE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND
THE BENEFITS.
THE BENEFITS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A VISION
BENEFIT.
BENEFIT.
BENEFIT. BUT WE ARE TRYING TO REDUCE
BARRIERS.
BARRIERS.
BARRIERS. SO WE WILL BE SENDING EYE CARE
PROFESSIONALS TO THEIR HOMES.>>
REALLY?
REALLY?
REALLY? HE WILL SEND SOMEONE TO THE
HOME TO DO THAT CHECK?
AND THEY DON'T REALLY WANT TO
DO THIS OR MIGHT BE SCARED.
>> THEY CAN TAKE A RETINAL
PHOTOGRAPH, THIS IS A HIGH
RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPH.
RESOLUTION PHOTOGRAPH. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT AN
OPHTHALMOLOGIST WILL LOOK AT.
>> THAT IS AMAZING.
THIS IS SOMETHING THEY USED TO
LOOK AT WHEN THEY DILATE THE I,
RIGHT?
RIGHT?
RIGHT? >>
RIGHT? >> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO THE
DILATION SO MUCH ANYMORE.>> YOU
CAN HAVE THE FULL SCREEN BY THE
OPHTHALMOLOGIST BUT THE
PHOTOGRAPH CAN DO THIS AND
REDUCE THE NEED FOR THE
DILATION.>> LET'S SAY YOU HAVE
EARLY DAMAGE TO THE EYE.WHAT IS
THE NEXT STEP?
>> DIABETES IN GENERAL, YOU
HAVE TO KEEP THE BLOOD PRESSURE
UNDER CONTROL AND SEE YOUR
DOCTOR ON A REGULAR BASIS.
GETTING YOUR BREAD PLEASURE --
BLOOD PRESSURE UNDER CONTROL IS
SO IMPORTANT.
SO IMPORTANT. DIET AND EXERCISE PRIMARILY.
>> I KNEW YOU WERE GOING TO SAY
THAT.>> ALL OF THOSE BEHAVIORAL
THINGS.
THINGS.
THINGS. THEN, JUST DO THAT TO KEEP IT
UNDER CONTROL.
UNDER CONTROL. THAT WILL HELP YOUR EYES.>>
THIS IS SOMETHING TO THINK
ABOUT.THE OTHER THING IS
DIABETES CAN TAKE A TOLL ON
YOUR BODY AND SO MANY OTHER
WAYS.WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OTHER
THINGS THAT YOU SHOULD DO THE
KEEP THAT UNDER CONTROL?
>> DIABETES UNDER CONTROL?
I THINK THE BLOOD PRESSURE
AFFECTS THE BLOOD VESSELS AND
THEIR STRENGTH.IT HAS AN EFFECT
ON THE KIDNEYS AND ON THE FEET.
THEN THE FEET GET INFECTED AND
THEN THAT GETS POTENTIAL FOR
INFECTION.
INFECTION. YOU'RE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
A HEART ATTACK OR STROKE.
THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT
CONSEQUENCES TO DIABETES.
>> LET'S ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO
GET THEIR SCREENING DONE.
AND MAYBE THEY CAN HELP GET TO
THE DOCTOR.TAKE YOU SO VERY
MUCH.
MUCH.
MUCH. >>>
MUCH. >>> WHEN WE COME