ICD-9 Code 250.51

Information for Patients

Also called: Insulin-dependent diabetes, Juvenile diabetes, Type I diabetes

Diabetes means your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. With type 1 diabetes, your pancreas does not make insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose get into your cells to give them energy. Without insulin, too much glucose stays in your blood. Over time, high blood glucose can lead to serious problems with your heart, eyes, kidneys, nerves, and gums and teeth.

Type 1 diabetes happens most often in children and young adults but can appear at any age. Symptoms may include

• Being very thirsty
• Urinating often
• Feeling very hungry or tired
• Losing weight without trying
• Having sores that heal slowly
• Having dry, itchy skin
• Losing the feeling in your feet or having tingling in your feet
• Having blurry eyesight

A blood test can show if you have diabetes. If you do, you will need to take insulin for the rest of your life.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• A1C test
• Diabetes - low blood sugar - self-care
• Diabetes - tests and checkups
• Diabetes - when you are sick
• Diabetes and exercise
• Diabetic ketoacidosis
• Giving an insulin injection
• Glucose tolerance test - non-pregnant
• Type 1 diabetes

Also called: Diabetic retinopathy

If you have diabetes, your blood glucose, or blood sugar, levels are too high. Over time, this can damage your eyes. The most common problem is diabetic retinopathy. It is a leading cause of blindness in American adults.

Your retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of your eye. You need a healthy retina to see clearly. Diabetic retinopathy damages the tiny blood vessels inside your retina.

You may not notice it at first. Symptoms can include

• Blurry or double vision
• Rings, flashing lights, or blank spots
• Dark or floating spots
• Pain or pressure in one or both of your eyes
• Trouble seeing things out of the corners of your eyes

Treatment often includes laser treatment or surgery, with follow-up care.

Two other eye problems can happen to people with diabetes. A cataract is a cloud over the lens of your eye. Surgery helps you see clearly again. Glaucoma happens when pressure builds up in the eye, damaging the main nerve. Eye drops or surgery can help.

If you have diabetes, you should have a complete eye exam every year. Finding and treating problems early may save your vision.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

• Diabetes - eye care
• Diabetes and eye disease
• Diabetes eye exams
• Fluorescein angiography
• Intravitreal injection
• Standard ophthalmic exam