Many diabetics suffer blindness due to cataracts. Why is this condition associated with this disease?

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Hi, everybody. And welcome back. Our next question says diabetics are more prone to developing cataracts. How is diabetes linked to cataracts? And we have four possible answer choices. But rather than read them all, talk about it, read them all again, we'll talk through each one as we read it. So, just a quick introduction, um, it's fairly well known that diabetes causes problems with eyes if blood sugar isn't controlled and there's different problems, it can cause probably an increase in pressure in the eye is the most well known. So you might be surprised that diabetes is also linked to cataracts. So let's think about that link choice. A says cataracts result from the build up of sorbitol in the eye's lens due to elevated blood sugar levels. And right off the bat in choice. A we have the correct explanation. High levels of blood sugar can end up causing a build up in sorbitol, which is a sugar alcohol. It can't be transported back out of the cells and so tends to build up and it causes a clouding of the lens of the eye that's essentially a cataract. But let's look briefly at our other answer choices to understand why they are the incorrect explanation. So choice B says diabetes causes the overproduction of insulin which deteriorates the eye's lens and causes cataracts. Well, this answer is quite obviously incorrect since diabetes is a result of the body's either inability to produce insulin due to in type one destruction of pancreas cells or in type two insulin resistance and inability of the body cells to respond to insulin. So, not the overproduction of insulin. Now, a little side note here, type two. Diabetes can cause a temporary overproduction of insulin because the body develops insulin resistance. The body tries to deal with the increase in blood sugar levels by just churning out tons and tons of insulin, which eventually causes the cells in the pancreas to become damaged and essentially wear out and stop producing insulin. So you do see this temporary overproduction of insulin in type two, but this does not cause the cataracts rather, it's the build up of sorbitol. So that's why choice B is incorrect. Tracy says the high glucose levels in diabetics cause an increase in eye pressure due to water retention leading to cataracts. Well, diabetes does cause high glucose levels if not well controlled and this can cause various eye problems, production of um abnormal blood vessels, leakage of the blood vessels increase in osmotic pressure with the build up of sorbitol. But none of these are the cause of cataracts. Rather, it's the clouding of the lens by the excess of sorbitol. So kind of semi correct. And then it talks about a, an actual problem with the eyes due to diabetes but not specifically the connection between diabetes and cataracts. And in choice D diabetics, ha patients have weakened immune systems making them more prone to infections such as cataracts. Well, cataracts are not infections but clouded lenses. So choice D is incorrect. So once again, how is diabetes linked to cataracts? Diabetics are more prone to developing them. And that is because choice a cataracts result from the build up of sorbitol and the eye's lens due to elevated blood sugar levels. See you in the next video.

Many diabetics suffer blindness due to cataracts. Why is this condition associated with this disease?

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Key Concepts

Diabetes and its Complications

Cataracts

Hyperglycemia and Oxidative Stress