Living Well with Diabetes and Vision Loss: Tips and Strategies
This content is also available in:
Español (Spanish)
Living well with diabetes can be challenging. When paired with vision loss, it can feel even more overwhelming. However, you can maintain your health and independence with the right strategies and support. This guide is here to offer practical tips on coping with the emotional, physical, and psychological aspects of living with diabetes and vision loss. From managing stress and maintaining emotional well-being to adapting exercise routines and navigating daily life, these strategies are here to guide you and help you stay on track and live well.
Emotional Aspects of Living with Diabetes and Vision Loss
Healthy emotional adjustment is an important part of having a good quality of life. If you have diabetes, it is even more critical to your health and well-being.
You have to learn to manage stress. The stress response can cause high blood glucose and high blood pressure in people who have diabetes. If these high levels last for an extended time, they can cause severe damage to the body. High stress can also make it hard for you to practice your diabetes self-care and keep your body healthy. When feeling stressed, some people overeat or do not eat enough. Others might stop exercising, use cigarettes, or turn to alcohol or drugs to cope. All these behaviors can damage your health and make it more difficult to control your blood sugars.
Psychological Well-Being
Consider the following tips for improving your psychological well-being when you have diabetes and vision loss.
- Building a robust support system is key to managing diabetes and vision loss. This network, which can include family, friends, vision rehabilitation professionals, and healthcare providers, not only offers emotional support but also provides practical assistance, making the journey more manageable.
- Connecting with others who share similar experiences can be a powerful tool in managing diabetes and vision loss. Support groups provide a platform for sharing emotional support and practical advice, offering a sense of community and understanding that can be invaluable in navigating these conditions.
- Seeking professional counseling can help can provide tools for managing stress, anxiety, and depression.
- Incorporating mindfulness practices like meditation, deep breathing, or yoga can promote emotional well-being.
- Establishing achievable goals can help you maintain a sense of accomplishment and motivation.
How do I Cope with Challenges?
People who have diabetes and related vision loss or blindness face challenges that can impact emotional, physical, and psychological well-being.
Loss of confidence in remaining senses, difficulty navigating the environment, and managing diabetes-related tasks can feel overwhelming. The following coping strategies will empower you to overcome obstacles.
Restoring Confidence and Independence
• Focus on remaining senses: Relying more on your remaining senses, such as hearing, touch, and smell, can help you develop and gather information about your environment — increasing independence.
• Gradual Exposure: Slowly introducing new environments and experiences can help reduce anxiety and boost confidence.
• Positive Affirmations: Practicing positive self-talk can boost self-esteem and encourage a growth mindset.
Physical Aspects of Living with Diabetes and Vision Loss
Taking care of your body when you have diabetes requires a new skill set, especially if you have lost vision due to diabetic retinopathy. Managing portion sizes and exercising becomes crucial.
How to Manage Portion Control with Low or No Vision
- Use divided plates with tactile dividers (similar to TV dinner plates) as easy-to-use portion control devices.
- Try nested measuring cups — a set of various cup sizes that stack neatly inside one another. These cups feature enlarged or raised numbers or color-coded cups for easy identification.
- For precise food measurements, purchase a talking food scale.
- Track the number and size of spoonfuls of food you eat. Most serving spoons and soup ladles hold about one-half cup or one serving size of starch, fruit, or cooked vegetables. Check the sizes of your spoons.
- Measure how much your bowls, glasses, and cups hold. If you want only a half cup of juice for breakfast, use a half-cup glass, etc.
- Keep appropriately sized scoops near the food you need to measure often—for example, a one-cup scoop near your cereal.
- Use the “hand” method for estimating portion sizes:
- The palm (about the size of a deck of cards) is about the size and thickness of three ounces of meat, fish, or cheese.
- A fist is approximately the size of one cup, or two portions, of most starchy foods and fruits, such as pasta, potatoes, oatmeal, or applesauce. A half-fist, or one portion, is about the size of a tennis ball.
- Two hands cupped together hold about two cups or one portion of green salad.
- A thumb is about the same volume as a tablespoon or a serving of salad dressing.
- The thumb tip is about one teaspoon or one serving of butter or margarine.
Can I Exercise if I have Low Vision and Diabetes?
Regular physical activity is essential to diabetes management. Vision loss may affect your ability to participate in the physical activities you once enjoyed. Still, with proper rehabilitation and attention to the modest safety measures that follow, most people can easily incorporate vigorous and rewarding physical activity into their daily routines.
When you exercise, you move your muscles. Moving your muscles burns glucose or sugar, your body’s main energy source. Besides burning glucose, moving your muscles can also make it easier for insulin to move glucose out of the blood and into your cells for up to two days after you exercise.
Check out our section on recreation and leisure ideas on how to enjoy and adapt exercise with blindness or low vision.
Protecting Your Vision When Exercising
If you have active diabetic retinopathy and useful remaining vision, try to avoid any activity that can cause retinal bleeding. These might include racquet sports, high-impact aerobics, fencing, and jogging—activities that involve pounding throughout the body or sudden movements of the head.
You should also avoid activities that increase blood pressure to the head—for example, exercises that involve leaning over your head below your heart’s level. Lifting heavy objects or exercises that involve holding your breath and straining (as with leg lifts or sit-ups) can also lead to retinal bleeding. Consult your eye specialist and a physical therapist about the activities best for you.
Navigating Daily Life with Diabetes and Vision Loss
You can work with professionals to learn new skill sets to help you maintain independence.
• Mobility Training: Learning orientation and mobility (O&M) skills like using a cane or guide dog will improve your safety and independence.
• Adaptive Skills Training, including
- Daily Living Skills: Learn techniques for cooking, dressing, and grooming with vision loss and diabetes.
- Home modifications: Making necessary adjustments to your home environment, such as installing grab bars, improving lighting, or using tactile markers, can help keep you safe around the house.
• Technology: Technology such as smartphones or smart home systems can provide additional support and independence for living with blindness, vision loss, and diabetes.
Managing Diabetes Records When Blind or Low Vision
Effective diabetes management relies on accurate, accessible record-keeping for people with vision loss. Here are a few methods to track blood glucose levels, medication, and other important health information.
Traditional Methods
• Paper-based logs: Large print logbooks (available from blood glucose meter companies), felt-tip (boldline or 20/20pens), and bold line paper can be helpful.
• Audio recordings: Digital recorders can be used to track blood glucose levels, medication, and meals. However, identifying patterns can be difficult.
• Talking glucometers: These devices store blood sugar readings and allow for additional notes.
Digital Solutions
• Smartphone apps: MySugr, Diabetes:M, and Diabetes Connect offer features for tracking blood glucose, medication, meals, and generating reports.
• Computer spreadsheets: Spreadsheets can be customized for individual needs and accessed with magnification or screen reading software.
Additional Tips
• Consult a vision rehabilitation therapist for personalized advice and techniques.
• Communicate with your healthcare providers about accessible formats for health information.
• Experiment with different methods to find what works best for you.
These strategies can help you effectively manage your diabetes and maintain good health.
Advocacy and Community Resources
Advocacy and community resources play a crucial role in navigating the challenges of living with diabetes and vision loss. Getting involved in advocacy efforts can not only empower you but also inspire positive change for others facing similar difficulties.
• Advocacy: Becoming involved in advocacy efforts can empower you and create positive change for others with similar challenges.
• Education and Awareness: Educating others about the challenges faced by individuals with blindness and diabetes can help reduce stigma and promote understanding.
By implementing these tips and coping strategies and seeking support, you can boost confidence, enhance independence, and improve your emotional, physical, psychological, and social quality of life and well-being.
Additional Resources