Caitlin Whyte (Host): Welcome to Hally HealthCast, the wellness podcast from Hally Health, your partner in helping you live your healthiest life. Every episode on our podcast addresses a new topic important to your health and wellbeing. Bringing in doctors, specialists and other health experts who offer advice and answer your most pressing questions. Today's episode is all about the importance of eye exams and early intervention to healthy vision. January is glaucoma awareness month. So it's the perfect time to learn more about eye health and vision care.

Here with us is Bethany Wallen. She is a Registered Nurse and a Medicare Star Ratings Coordinator for Health Alliance in Champagne. Welcome Ms. Wallen, and thank you so much for being with us today and for sharing your knowledge. Let's begin with a nod to glaucoma awareness month. We've heard glaucoma called the silent thief of sight; because it has few noticeable symptoms, but can steal your vision if not caught in time. So tell us if you would, what we need to know about glaucoma, Ms. Wallen. What is it exactly, what causes it and how can we prevent it?

Bethany Wallen, RN: Yeah, that's a great question. Thank you for having me today. I'm really excited to share. So glaucoma, it's actually a pretty common eye condition. It's where the optic nerve which connects the eye to the brain becomes damaged. The damage is caused by a buildup of fluid that builds up in front of the eye and increases that pressure in the eye.

So, this can cause a loss of vision if not diagnosed and treated early. And you actually can't really tell that it's happening. It can increase in pressure and you don't really feel any symptoms with that. You don't get a headache or, you know, what you would think that would happen with that increase in pressure.

So, it's really important to get those routine eye exams.

Host: Of course, well thank you, Ms. Wallen. That was indeed an eye opening answer. So the key to preventing glaucoma is early detection, and that means those regular eye exams like you mentioned. Can you tell us what's involved in these eye exams? Are they uncomfortable, for example, or should we expect something painful? What goes on during them?

Bethany Wallen, RN: Yeah, yeah, so, those exams, they're actually pretty quick and painless. So, some that you might be familiar with is the air puff test. They just kind of puff a little bit of air into your eye to pretty much see how the, the pressure, responds, in your eye. Also, you can get a dilated eye exam.

So that includes getting some eye drops in your eye, opens up that pupil, and they can see, what's going on inside your eye. Both painless, pretty quick, usually takes about an hour to get done. And so, it's looking for things that I, I mentioned, you know, that pressure in the eye, how well the eye is draining fluid appropriately, if you have any vision loss, the state of your peripheral vision, even the state of your cornea, and all of that's really important when you're talking about your eye health and, glaucoma, as well.

Host: Well, thank you, Ms. Wallen. That was most helpful and reassuring. Which brings us to a question that practically cries out for reassurance. I've heard that glaucoma is a serious health concern for people with diabetes. Why is that? What does glaucoma have to do with diabetes?

Bethany Wallen, RN: Yeah, so just like any other condition, glaucoma is something that you might have risk factors for. So when talking about glaucoma, you would be thinking about, a population maybe of older age, if they came from an African, Asian, even Caribbean descent, or if they have chronic conditions, so like blood pressure, that's high, like hypertension, or diabetes, like we're going to talk about. Also, if you take a corticosteroid like prednisone.

So just going on the line of diabetes, it's connected to glaucoma, because it can cause glaucoma in a way. So, people who have diabetes, it's really important for them to go and get an eye exam, not only for the detection of glaucoma, but also for diabetic retinopathy.

And these are interconnected. So when somebody has diabetic retinopathy, this causes abnormal blood vessels to grow out of the retina and block fluid from draining out of the eye in case, causing glaucoma, because that's what glaucoma is, is that buildup of fluid. So, for our diabetic population, it's really important to get those eye exams done.

You can kind of kill two birds with one stone, you know, you're looking for glaucoma, you're looking for diabetic retinopathy. If you're asking, okay, have diabetes, I don't know how often I should go in, or how serious this is. It's important to go every two years if you don't have any indication that you have diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma.

But if something is found on a test and they want to monitor you a little bit closer, going annually is important. So, it is important, too, with diabetic retinopathy because, just like glaucoma, there's not a lot of symptoms that you could be feeling with diabetic retinopathy just like glaucoma.

Host: Wow, as if diabetes isn't enough of a health challenge, the increased risk of glaucoma has to make it so much more difficult. But there are medicines that people with diabetes can take to manage their condition, right? Are those at all effective in preventing glaucoma? And how important are those screenings and taking your meds as directed for people with diabetes, Ms. Wallen?

Bethany Wallen, RN: Yes, so there is medication that people can take for diabetes, if they are diagnosed with diabetes. They can be prescribed from their providers, so depending on their need, that can look like insulin, that can look like even just diet and lifestyle changes, but when I'm thinking about diabetes medication and its effect on glaucoma, we have to look at the core of the issue, which is managing blood sugars, so like I mentioned, looking at diet, looking at lifestyle, taking medications for blood sugar control as prescribed. Because when those high blood sugars are happening over time, they're not decreasing and it's kind of just staying high in the bloodstream.

And the main contributor, you know, for our diabetic population. It can damage the retina and cause those abnormal blood vessels to grow in the retina, blocking that fluid, causing that glaucoma. So managing diabetes is the best way to lower the risk of diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma in that population, and again, keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range. You can do that by getting regular exercise, eating healthy, making sure that you get your annual eye exam, of course, to keep your eye health in check, making sure that you are going to the doctor and getting those routine A1C tests done as well, annual kidney screenings, as well. Just making sure that you are keeping up on your body and how it's responding to that chronic condition, because when something is off, like, you know, our body's having trouble getting those sugars down, it can affect not only our eyes, but our whole body, right?

So it's, it's important to go in and get those screenings.

Host: Absolutely. Well, that is some super advice, whether you have diabetes or not. Thank you, Ms. Wallen. All right. My last question for you today, revisiting the theme of this month and this podcast, what main message would you communicate to our audience about eye exams and glaucoma prevention? What should all of us be aware of about eye health?

Bethany Wallen, RN: Yeah, I think the most important thing to take away, if you haven't heard anything else, is that your eye health matters. You have the power to catch and even prevent complex eye conditions early and avoid vision loss and blindness by simply just getting an annual eye exam and other routine screenings.

So taking your medications as prescribed and adopting healthy lifestyle habits, those are important to promote overall wellness.

Host: A marvelous message for all of us, Ms. Wallen. You've been an absolute pleasure to have on our podcast. Thank you so much for joining us and for all that you do every day at Health Alliance for so many people and families. That concludes today's Hally HealthCast. Tune in next time as we tackle yet another topic important for your health and wellbeing. And remember, Hally health is your partner in helping you live your healthiest life. Visit hally.com That's H-a-l-l-y.com for resources, information, tips, and much more. Let us help keep you and your family healthy and well. Thanks for listening. We hope you tune in again.