Diabetes is still the number one cause of blindness and kidney failure. But they're no longer inevitable. In fact, complications usually don't occur until after 5 to 10 years of high blood glucose problems. Here's what you can do on the way to acceptable blood sugar levels to keep key parts of you healthy.

* Care for your eyes. After your kidneys, your eyes are the second major organ of the body affected by uncontrolled blood glucose over the long term. But blindness is no longer an inevitable correlate of diabetes. Here's what you need to do to keep your eyes in good shape. See your ophthalmologist or optometrist annually at least. As long as you are controlling your blood glucose, your eyes will stay normal. If not, you're most likely to show signs of cataracts (a cloudy or opaque lens that can block your vision), glaucoma (high pressure inside the eye that can damage the nerve), or retinopathy (which has a variety of effects). The long and short is that you'll need to start controlling your blood glucose and likely your blood pressure. Alcohol may worsen eye disease. Smoking certainly raises blood glucose levels in diabetics. You can stop or reverse damage if you stop smoking now. Detecting and treating diabetic eye disease with laser therapy can reduce the development of severe vision loss by an estimated 50 to 60 percent.
* Don't go soak your feet. You want your feet to be soft and comfortable. Soaking works against you. It dries your feet, makes them crack, and opens them to infection. Use a good moisturizer instead. Wash your feet every day with a moisturized soap (then dry them thoroughly). Inspect your feet for nicks, pierces, or ulcers. Poke them with a 10-gram filament to see if you've lost feeling in the fine nerves. Finally, apply a thick (not thin) watery moisturizing lotion. That's all you need.

You have more resources than ever to reverse the damage glucose is doing to your body. Here's your third way to live better:




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