Improve health in general --> Improve eye health

Since the beginning of the year, I have joined Weight Watchers (WW) and started exercising again.  I am re-committed to getting healthy in 2011 and beyond, and now that a month has passed, I am feeling great!  I can't give this whole eye situation all the credit, but it definitely has influenced my new healthy lifestyle.  My other motivation is, of course, my upcoming wedding in October.  The whole white dress tradition can be rather unflattering for super chubby brides, and because I have already admitted how vain I am, I feel no shame in sharing that I refuse to feel apologetically and shamefully fat on my wedding day.

I have been working really hard, tracking everything I eat, tallying the WW points, working out at home or at the gym, and just generally trying to take care of myself.  The results are already showing.  I have dropped almost 15 pounds and a whole pants size.  I feel in control again.  My mood is better - generally happier and more hopeful.

Originally, I began this blog about my journey back to eye health, but it seems appropriate to me to expand that purpose.  Through this experience, I have realized that good health is one of the most fundamentals contributors to one's quality of life.  I know it is not an original epiphany, but health is the kind of thing you take for granted when you are young and healthy.  Then, health erodes, little by little over time, at a rate so slow you don't notice it happening until something big happens - for me, something like a detached retina.

I will never really know the cause of my detached retina.  I could probably just leave the blame with my high myopia, but the more I read, the more I think my own negligence may have had a hand in it.  I have not been diagnosed with diabetes, but it runs in my family, and at my weight, I am especially at risk.  In addition, I have a condition called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).  PCOS is a complicated syndrome, and it affects each woman who has it differently.  For me, and many others, it has resulted in a type of insulin resistance that looks a lot like diabetes.  In November, I even began taking Metformin to help regulate my blood sugar.  I had fasting lab work done this week, and my fasting glucose levels were high - not full-on diabetic range but probably in the pre-diabetes range.  I am at a crossroads - do nothing and accept an inevitable diabetes diagnosis OR fight like hell to lose this weight and reclaim control of my health and my body.  I am choosing the latter.

Diabetes is terrifying to me for a lot of reasons.  I am a foodie and a baker, and giving up sweet indulgences makes me sad.  (Of course, I know the key is moderation, but diabetics are forced to redefine moderation as it relates to sweets.)  Beyond the food restrictions, I have learned about diabetic retinopathy, and I wanted to post about it here.

According to the American Optometric Association (AOA):

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition occurring in persons with diabetes, which causes progressive damage to the retina, the light sensitive lining at the back of the eye. It is a serious sight-threatening complication of diabetes. 

Diabetes is a disease that interferes with the body's ability to use and store sugar, which can cause many health problems. Too much sugar in the blood can cause damage throughout the body, including the eyes. Over time, diabetes affects the circulatory system of the retina. 

Diabetic retinopathy is the result of damage to the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina. They leak blood and other fluids that cause swelling of retinal tissue and clouding of vision. The condition usually affects both eyes. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they will develop diabetic retinopathy. If left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness.

Source: http://www.aoa.org/diabetic-retinopathy.xml

Of course, I already knew diabetes is bad, but I did not know how it could affect eye health.  Knowledge is power, and for me, knowledge is serving as another motivational tool to keep me on track with my diet and exercise routine.  Losing weight is not just about vanity anymore.  It is about returning my body to good health, avoiding diabetes, and by extension, maintaining retina health.  The human body is an amazing machine with so many systems interrelated.  If you value your vision and eye health, you should do what you can to make your whole self healthy.  I wish I had this much perspective throughout my twenties, but better now than never.