For my first blog entry, I thought I would discuss something that came up in a few recent articles that caught my attention.
Back when I was an intern at the VA Hospital down in Roseburg, OR, I had an attending doctor who I greatly respected. He taught me a lot of things that I hadn’t ever heard or been taught in school that made me stop and think clinically about what he was suggesting.
In early January, an article came out in Medscape that discussed diabetic eye disease and diet soda. I was shocked to see that there was now a published link between the two, as it was something that stuck with me from my time at the VA, but had never heard elsewhere.
Most patients who have diabetes would think to themselves that diet soda is an OK alternative to regular soda. When thinking of diabetes, most people would think, “There’s no sugar in it. What’s the harm?”
As it turns out, there’s now a suggested link between artificial sweeteners and an increase in glucose (sugar) intolerance and your body. In this case, it specifically affects the eyes and can lead to progression of a condition known as diabetic retinopathy.
The study suggested in diabetic patients who drank 4 or more cans of diet soda per week would be more likely to develop a more severe diabetic eye disease that is more difficult to treat and far more likely to become progressive and lead to vision loss. When you think about it, 4 cans of diet soda doesn’t sound like much and would be quite easy to consume in less than half a week’s time!
Dr. Soper and I like to try to educate our patients as much as we can when they come in for their examinations. The more you can learn about your eyes and your general health, the better off we’d all be in life. One of the most common things I hear from patients is that their vision is important to them and they want to do what they can to keep and maintain their vision. This is exactly what our jobs are! To examine your eyes, help you see better, and maintain your vision for your lifetime the best we can.
Dr. Nick