Tasmanians diagnosed with diabetes are at greater risk of irreversible damage to their eyes, with diabetic retinopathy the most concerning eye condition faced by Tasmanians.
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Australian Medical Association spokesperson Professor Paul McCartney said there were four issues of principal concern when it came to eye health, including cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma.
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Diabetic retinopathy was considered the most significant issue as patients could go from having minor symptoms to severe vision loss - even blindness - in a matter of months.
"It's no good getting your eyes checked if you think your vision is bad," he said.
"For diabetics, the message is, get your eyes checked every two years by your optometrist or ophthalmologist."
Professor McCartney said while all four issues posed significant health implications, cataracts were considered the most manageable.
"Cataracts have an excellent surgical cure, we don't have to warn people about cataracts or get them in early, but we do need to encourage them that if their vision is down, they should be checked," he said.
Professor McCartney said macular degeneration was also treatable, but early identification and treatment were required to stave off irreversible damage.
"In recent years, as recent as a decade, we've had excellent injection treatment to save vision that was otherwise going to be lost," he said.
"For that, people do need to act quickly within a matter of days, and if it's macular degeneration, we can step in if it's appropriate."
He said while it was onerous for the patient, in terms of receiving monthly or second monthly injections, treatment was highly successful in treating a condition that would have resulted in an irreversible blinding condition.
While cataracts and macular degeneration were reasonably treatable, Professor McCartney said glaucoma posed a more significant issue with early detection paramount in reducing long term damage.
"For glaucoma, have an eye check as you approach your 40s, or if you've got a strong family history of glaucoma," he said.
"We have excellent preventative treatments, but the treatments if the disease has become established, or has already damaged vision is either impossible or much more difficult."
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