| From
time to time, Malahide Lions organise a series of screening sessions
for Diabetes, a potentially debilitating illness if left undetected.
The Lions act as facilitators only. The testing is conducted by
qualified nursing or medical
personnel who carry out a simple blood test (involving a needle
prick to the finger) In cases where a certain level of blood sugar
is recorded, the participants will be referred to his/her own doctor.
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It
is estimated that more than 200 million people are now afflicted
with diabetes, at risk of losing sight due to a serious complication
of diabetes--diabetes retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy affects
the retina--the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that
transmits visual messages, via the optic nerve, to the brain. When
this delicate tissue is damaged by diabetic retinopathy, the result
may be visual impairment or blindness.
Diabetes awareness was adopted as a long-term commitment of the association in March 1984. The primary objective of the Lions program is to reduce the number of new cases of blindness caused by diabetic retinopathy through diabetes education, early detection and treatment, and support of research.
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| Why
is it important to know how diabetes affects the eyes?
If you have diabetes--or if someone close to you has this disease--you should know that diabetes could affect the eyes and cause visual impairment. Fortunately, there are ways to prevent or lessen damage to the eyes caused by diabetes. That is why it is so important for people with this disease to have a professional eye examination as soon as their diabetes is diagnosed, and at least once a year thereafter. Annual eye examinations are especially important for people who stand a high risk of developing eye complications from diabetes. These include persons with diabetes who have had their disease 5 years or longer, and those who have difficulty controlling glucose levels in the blood. |
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Malahide Lions Club