We know that excess sugar is bad for diabetics so patients with diabetes turn to foods with artificial sweeteners to get that burst of sweetness without the dangers of sugar. A recent study in the journal Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology has reported a linkage between diabetics who drink more than four cans of diet soda and the development of the blinding complications of diabetic retinopathy (severe leakage of blood vessels in the eye). It was not associated with the development of the less severe eye complications of diabetes or macular edema which is swelling in the central part of the eye.
This study is pretty scary. Diabetics rely on these artificial sweeteners on a daily basis to keep them safe from sugar and here is a study that says that these sweeteners can cause severe eye complications. Now what? This research is very new and the results have to be repeated in order to make definitive decisions about cutting sweeteners out of a diabetics diet. A confounding factor in the research also notes that people who consume a lot of artificial sweeteners also have a higher body mass index (they weigh more) as well as a worse cardiovascular profile. In other words, more studies are needed.
So if I am diabetic and drink a lot of diet soda what do I do now? Admittedly this is a tough call. It would probably be wise to cut down the consumption of diet soda and try to switch over to water and stay tuned for further studies to be done.
Park Eye Center 