Diabetic Eye Care

Diabetes can have a significant impact on the eyes, leading to a variety eye conditions and complications. Our primary goal in Diabetic Eye Care is to monitor, detect, and manage any eye-related issues caused by diabetes.

Uncontrolled Diabetes puts you at risk for several complex health issues, including diabetic retinopathy. We offer a comprehensive eye exam to identify diabetic eye complications at their earliest stages.

If you are living with Diabetes, you should have a dilated eye exam every year.

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes where high blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels in the retina of the eye.

Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy

Patients with early stage Diabetic Retinopathy often experience no symptoms. Up to 90% of permanent vision loss caused by this disease can be prevented with early detection and treatment, so it is important to have regular eye exams even if you have no symptoms.

Symptoms of later stage Diabetic Retinopathy include:

• Increased eye floaters
• Distorted or blurry vision
• Decreased night vision
• Changes in the way you see colors
• Vision loss

Managing Diabetic Retinopathy

Careful management of your Diabetes is the best way to prevent vision loss. 

Controlling your blood sugar and blood pressure, check your nutrition and take the medicine your Doctor prescribes. Good sugar control can even bring some of your vision back.

Diabetes doesn't necessarily lead to vision loss. Taking an active role in your diabetes management will contribute toward preventing complications.

Preventing Diabetic Eye Disease

There are several steps that people with diabetes can take to prevent diabetic eye disease.

• Control your blood sugar levels. High blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels in your eyes.
• Control your blood pressure. High blood pressure can damage the blood vessels in your eyes.
• Get regular eye exams. They can help detect diabetic eye disease in its early stages when it's easier to treat.
• Stop smoking. If you smoke, quit as soon as possible, it can increase your risk of diabetic eye disease and other eye problems.
•  Take care of your overall health. Eat a healthy diet, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and manage your stress.

Comprehensive Eye Examinations

We conduct thorough eye exams to assess the overall health of the eyes and identify any diabetes-related eye complications. This includes checking visual acuity, examining the retina, measuring eye pressure, evaluating the blood vessels in the back of the eye, and assessing eye movements.

Diabetic Retinopathy Screening

Diabetic retinopathy is a common diabetic eye disease characterized by damage to the blood vessels in the retina. We will perform specialized tests such as fundus photography, where detailed images of the retina are taken, or optical coherence tomography (OCT) to evaluate the condition of the retina and identify signs of retinopathy.

Treatment and Management of Diabetic Eye Conditions

If diabetic eye complications are detected, we may provide appropriate treatments or refer patients to ophthalmologists for further care. Treatments can include laser therapy such as focal laser treatment or pan-retinal photocoagulation to prevent blood vessels from leaking or growing abnormally, intravitreal injections such as anti-VEGF injections to reduce swelling or abnormal blood vessel growth, or surgery in advanced cases.

Monitoring and Follow-up

We will establish a monitoring schedule to track the progression of any diabetic eye conditions. Regular follow-up visits are crucial to detect any changes or new issues early on and ensure timely intervention or referral to other specialists.

Diabetic Eye Education

We'll provide guidance on blood sugar control, blood pressure management, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, and scheduling regular eye exams.