A Guide to Caring for Yourself When You Have Vision Loss
By Ann S. Williams, Ph.D., RN, CDE
Listen to Living with Diabetes and Visual Impairment—General Information Audio
Diabetes care is almost entirely managed by the person who has it. If you%27ve lived with diabetes for any length of time, then you know there%27s no negotiating its demands. Day after day, you alone determine when and what to eat and how much to exercise. It%27s up to you to remember when to take your medication, how often to check your blood glucose level, and what to do if your blood sugar levels are too high or too low.
Successful management of diabetes—even under the most ideal circumstances—requires great discipline, not to mention specific knowledge, skills, and tools for self-care. When vision loss enters the picture—as it frequently does as the disease advances—there%27s yet another level of complication and risk added to your treatment regimen.
Perhaps you%27re one of the 3.2 million Americans now living with both conditions—an occurrence that will grow even more common as the nation%27s retirement-aged population increases. If so, then you%27ve also had to confront the frustrating fact that almost all diabetes equipment is still designed with the assumption that the user will be able to see enough detail to use it properly. Regular and small print are standard for diabetes-related information, equipment instructions, and prescription labels.
The good news is that, for the last 20 years, many diabetes care professionals, equipment manufacturers, and people with visual impairment have been working tirelessly to address these challenges. The result is that, today, there are more viable, accessible resources and techniques to help people with visual impairments manage their diabetes than ever before.
Innovations in Self-Care
The American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) has developed and copyrighted the AADE 7 Self-Care Behaviors™, a set of lifestyle changes that are necessary to manage diabetes effectively. In this section, you will find a helpful overview of these behaviors, along with information on how they can be adapted to address the onset of vision loss. The AADE 7 include:
- Healthy Eating
- Being Active
- Monitoring
- Taking Medication
- Problem Solving
- Healthy Coping
- Reducing Risks
In addition to these articles, you will also find a list of general diabetes resources.
