Welcome everyone to today's webinar on how to keep your eyes healthy. Today's webinar has been hosted by the Eye Health Equity Initiative, a joint initiative of the American Diabetes Association and Genentech. We will discuss the impact diabetes can have on eye health and how to prevent better adverse outcomes such as vision loss. Today we talk about how important our eyes are and how valuable they are. We want to offer you tools and resources to help you understand the importance of an annual eye exam if you have diabetes. We want you to feel equipped to be a strong ambassador in your community and support those living with diabetes. We know that diabetes is a serious health issue. Did you know that in 2021, 12% of the population in the United States was found to have diabetes? Today, more than 38 million Americans live with diabetes, with the highest rates among Native American, African American, and Latino populations. Furthermore, this figure is even higher in people over 65 years of age, such as our parents and grandparents. In addition to being common, diabetes is the leading cause of vision loss in people between the ages of 18 and 64, and people with diabetes are at the highest risk of vision loss. The good news is that you can do something about it today by participating in this training. and using the tools we give you to feel more confident as an ambassador in your community. It is surprising that many people with diabetes do not know that they should take care of their eyes. Later, we will talk about the importance of eye care for people with diabetes. With this toolkit, you can make a difference in your community by focusing on eye care. Who is this entertainment for? This entertainment is for anyone working to raise awareness and eye care in their community, including church staff, community health workers, educators and health professionals. The goal of this entertainment is to help others living with diabetes understand the importance of a comprehensive annual eye exam. During this entertainment, you will learn to describe the impact of diabetes on eye care, will identify eye diseases, recognize ways to protect the vision of people with diabetes, create an action plan using ADA online tools and confidently communicate this information to your community. As you know, our eyes are very important. They allow us to see the world, enjoy moments with our loved ones and experience many beautiful things in life. Think of a reason why your eyes are valuable. For me, it is being able to see my daughter's smile and enjoying nature with my family and friends. If you or someone you know has diabetes, your eyes may be damaged without you knowing it, but there are things you can do about it. Let's look at Elena's story. Elena has type 2 diabetes. She went to the doctor for a cough and her doctor took the opportunity to talk to her about her diabetes, taking care of her eyes, and the importance of an annual checkup. It wasn't the first time she had heard about this, but this time Elena decided to go for the exam. Her insurance covered it, so she went to an appointment with a nearby ophthalmologist. And what do you think? He had a problem. Although he had no symptoms, the doctor discovered that his retina was damaged. Thanks to treatment, her vision is improving and Elena now gets her eyes checked every year and encourages her sister Janice, who also lives with diabetes, to do the same. Let's talk about glucose, blood sugar. Glucose is a type of sugar that our body uses as its main source of energy. Our body produces glucose and we also get it from some foods we eat, such as fruit, bread and pasta. This energy is essential for our organs, including our eyes, to function properly. Veins and arteries carry energy and nutrients to our eyes through the blood that circulates through them. They act as pipes that carry blood to our eyes to provide them with the necessary nutrients and energy. If glucose levels are constantly high, it can damage these veins and arteries. The image on the left shows a normal vein, on the right, one with high glucose levels that becomes obstructed. On the right, one with high glucose levels that becomes clogged as if it were a blocked pipe, which can damage our eyes. Now let's talk about some diabetes-related eye diseases that can develop when glucose is constantly elevated, such as diabetic rhinopathy, macular edema, cataracts and glaucoma. These diseases can make it difficult to see clearly. Over time, if nothing is done, the veins and arteries in your eyes can close up. If this happens, you won't get the proper nutrients to your eyes. This can lead to the growth of new abnormal blood vessels that can damage vision and cause blindness. This eye disease is known as diabetic kidney disease. Other diseases can occur when veins and arteries are damaged by high glucose levels, causing them to become enlarged, swollen and leak fluid. This is called macular edema. This makes the eyes more sensitive to light and makes it difficult to see. The good thing is that once we know how our eyes are, There are many things we can do with our health care team to protect them. It is important to have a complete and dilated eye exam every year. It is necessary to look at how our eyes, especially, because diabetes-related eye diseases can be present without any symptoms, As we saw in Elena's story, Elena felt that her eyes were fine and without symptoms. She didn't know that anything was wrong. It's important to understand that your annual dilated and comprehensive eye exam is different from the exam you get to check your eyes or to give you a prescription for glasses if you need them. During a comprehensive dilated eye exam, your eye care professional will use drops to dilate your eyes or a special camera. This will allow the professional to see deeper inside your eyes, checking the retina, veins and arteries to make sure there is no swelling or leaking. If damage is found, there is a lot you and your health care team can do to protect your eyes. Once you and your health care provider know the condition of your eyes, there are many steps you both can take to protect them. Your health care professional can talk to you about lifestyle changes, medications, and nutrition recommendations to protect your vision. There are other things you can do, too. You can adopt a healthy eating pattern into your daily routine. You can meet with your team, which could include your health care professional. a community health worker, or diabetes educator to learn different ways to improve your glucose levels. In addition, you can complete a program of diabetes education and support. Visit diabetes.org find a program to find a program near you. If you currently smoke or vape, it's time to consider quitting. Smoking causes inflammation and damages veins and arteries by increasing your blood pressure and reducing oxygen flow to your eyes. This can increase your risk of developing serious vision problems. You cannot have your annual diabetes eye exam done by an optician. An optician will measure your eyes for glasses, but will not perform the full eye exam. So how do you find a place to get your annual eye exam? There are several ways. Check with your health care provider, your health insurance company, or member services or a community health worker. You can also search for local providers by visiting the ADA Community Connection website at diabetes.findhelp.com. Just type in your zip code, click the health icon and then on eye care to see a list of professionals in your area. I typed in my zip code and found over 4,000 professionals. Make sure to find an optometrist or optomologist as you cannot get a complete diabetes eye exam from an optician. How do you pay for your annual eye exam? If you have health insurance, check with member services or your plan first. because this annual exam may be covered. You may need to tell them that you have diabetes to make sure you get the right information. Other places you can seek help include your local church, community health worker programs, and again the ADA Community Connection website at diabetes.findhelp.com. Another online resource is the National Eye Institute at www.nei.nih.gov. There you can click on the first tab, go to learn about eye health and then click on healthy vision to get free or low-cost eye care. Here you will find information about different programs for all ages and you can share this information with people in your community. What if you or your clients don't have transportation? You can ask a friend or family member for help or check with your health plan, local church, or local government agency. or community health worker program to get you transportation or ways to get to your appointments. Again, on the ADA Community Connection site at diabetes.findhelp.com there is a transportation tab with available transportation resources. Sometimes life can get complicated and unexpected things can come up that make it difficult to complete even our everyday tasks and the diabetes eye exam is no different. Create an action plan for annual exams. This action plan serves as a guide for you and the people you help. to keep up to date with this very important eye exam. Using this action plan you can document the date and location of your last eye exam yearly as well as having an outline to help you overcome any obstacles that may arise. This printable form is available in the course material. In the next few slides we will look at strategies to address these obstacles. We'll discuss different barriers that can prevent you from completing your annual eye exam and how to use the action plan to overcome them. The slides list the most common barriers. Let's look at strategies to deal with each one. Let's start with the first barrier. I don't need an eye exam, I can see just fine. We heard this earlier in Elena's story. She also thought her eyesight was fine. However, diabetes-related eye diseases are very stealthy and may not present symptoms. Again, your annual eye exam is crucial to protecting your eyes. Don't wait until you have symptoms to get this exam. Early detection is key. I don't know where to get tested. Remember that your primary care professional, community health worker, health services, etc. for members of your health insurance or the ADA website can provide you with a list of places to go. I can't afford to pay for the exam. Sometimes life can give us unexpected expenses and we may think that the cost of the exam is an obstacle, but don't worry because your health plan could cover it. Check with your health insurance member services. You can also ask for help at your church or health worker program. community or check back on the ADA Community Connection website at diabetes.findhelp.com. I don't have transportation or childcare. You can ask a friend, family member, or community organization for help finding support. I forgot to go to my appointment. This can happen to anyone with a busy schedule. That's why it's important to write down the date of your next exam on the refrigerator or in your notebook. calendar and use the diabetes action plan to remind you when your next appointment is. A big obstacle is I'm afraid to go. Contact your community health worker or health professional or take a family member or friend with you. Remember, this is what Elena did. She helped her sister and became her biggest support. Remember Elena's story. She didn't just focus on her own eye health, but also used that information to help her sister. She became an ambassador for eye care equity in her community, and you can, too. Your next step is to make a commitment to take care of your eyes at diabetes.org slash slash eye commitment. The ADA will send you additional information and you will receive updates and email announcements. The ADA has created a toolkit at diabetes.org that includes resources with: additional information on eye care, healthy eating, and physical activity. Here are some additional resources for you to use. Share this information with others and help create equity in eye care in your community. Below we will review a list of online resources. ADA Eye Care Equity Page. This is the diabetes.org page under Eye Health Equity where you can Find resources such as eye engagement, information about our initiatives, our kidney disease risk test, diabetes risk test type 2, as well as several downloadable PDFs for you and your community members such as five simple steps to eye care. Frequently Asked Questions about eye care, the importance of eye exams, other eye care resources, and much more. ADA Spanish Eye Care Equity Page. This page contains information and resources related to our eye care equity initiative. The ADA's Spanish language eye care page. This page contains additional information and downloadable resources about eye care in Spanish. Diabetes.org in Spanish. From our ADA page you can spend the whole day exploring all the resources it offers, expanding your knowledge about the differences and differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, their complications, living with diabetes including travel, and various health and wellness tips. Community Connection. Here you can view our directory of programs and services on the ADA Community Connection site. With this resource you can enter your zip code and find many programs in your area. These may be related to housing, transportation, health care, education and more. To find eye doctors go to health go down to eye care and it will show you the options available in your area. From eye clinics, mobiles, senior programs and more. This is a great resource to explore what is in your area. In the Diabetes Food Hub you have access to many recipes, meal plans and shopping lists. Resources like this one help you plan your meals, see cooking videos and find what's right for you. Our professionals page gives you access to everything available at Diabetes Pro. You can learn about the Association's standards of care American Diabetes Association and our upcoming meetings. Within clinical support you will find more things like our patient library with resources, infographics and printable pdfs to keep on hand. Another great resource is our page dedicated to community health workers, including resources for use professional, materials to hand out at events, our memberships for community health workers and more, including training modules. Diabetes self-management education and support program. Use this page to find a diabetes self-management program near you, including in-person and virtual programs. Our patient education library has downloadable resources on a variety of topics in Spanish. The information center provides general information on various diabetes topics and can connect you with financial aid resources. Representatives can answer questions in Spanish. We encourage you to put the knowledge you have acquired here into practice in your environment. Thank you again for joining us and we look forward to seeing you at our next event.

Eye Health Equity

Diabetes

Vision Loss

Comprehensive Eye Exams

Diabetic Retinopathy

Community Advocacy

Eye Care Barriers