It is based on what happens inside the eye when blood sugar remains high for long periods.
Dr Badiger explained, "The eye lens has high sensitivity to blood glucose levels.
In the case where glucose levels in the blood stay high for a long time, extra glucose in the blood gets into the eye lens and is turned into sorbitol via the polyol pathway.
The sorbitol is retained in large amounts because it exits the lens slowly and causes fluid retention in the lens."
In simple words, persistently high blood sugar changes the chemistry inside the eye.
The connection between diabetes and cataracts is not just a statistical one. It is based on what happens inside the eye when blood sugar remains high for long periods.
Dr Badiger explained, "The eye lens has high sensitivity to blood glucose levels. In the case where glucose levels in the blood stay high for a long time, extra glucose in the blood gets into the eye lens and is turned into sorbitol via the polyol pathway. The sorbitol is retained in large amounts because it exits the lens slowly and causes fluid retention in the lens."
He added, "Besides, the presence of continuous hyperglycaemia leads to oxidative stress and damage to the lens proteins, causing them to clump together. Over time, this makes the originally clear lens become opaque, resulting in cataracts."
In simple words, persistently high blood sugar changes the chemistry inside the eye. The lens, which should stay clear to focus light, gradually becomes cloudy. As that cloudiness increases, vision becomes less sharp.
