Diabetes & Eye Health

High blood pressure in diabetic patients can lead to blockages and damage to the small blood vessels in the retinas. Diabetic eye disease can cause swelling and detachment of the retina, resulting in partial vision loss and blindness. Eye damage caused by diabetes is often irreversible, but maintaining healthy blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and cholesterol can help patients avoid eye problems. To keep your eyesight from getting worse, keep your blood sugar levels under control, eat healthily, and get regular exercise. The diabetic eye specialists at [siteName} assist patients with diabetes in preventing vision loss and managing diabetic eye conditions through regular eye exams.

What Treatment Options Are Available for Diabetic Eye Disease?

Diabetic eye disease is a group of eye problems that can affect people with diabetes. These conditions include diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataracts, and glaucoma. Over time, diabetes can cause damage to your eyes that can lead to poor vision or even blindness. Treatment of diabetic retinopathy varies depending on the extent of the disease. If you are diabetic, you can help prevent or slow the development of diabetic retinopathy by exercising regularly, taking prescribed medication, controlling your blood sugar, healthy dieting, and avoiding smoking and alcohol.There is no cure for most diabetes-related conditions, but there are several medications and procedures that may reverse or prevent further damage. Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are lifelong conditions and without proper management, diabetic eye disease will continue to progress. The optometrists can assist patients with diabetes by managing and treating the complications and progression of diabetic eye disease.

Which Diabetes-Related Conditions Be Detected During an Eye Exam?

Diabetic eye disease is a group of eye conditions in people with diabetes. If undetected and untreated diabetic eye conditions can cause irreversible damage to the eyes leading to vision impairment and blindness. Eye exams from eyecarecenter are crucial for the early detection and prevention of these conditions.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is the cause of irreversible blindness in American adults. This condition causes progressive damage to the retina as blood vessels bulge and leak, cause the surrounding tissue to swell. In the late stage of Diabetic Retinopathy, called proliferative diabetic retinopathy, the retinal blood vessels begin to close causing new, abnormal vessels to grow. These new blood vessels are especially fragile and more prone to leaks and bleeds. As the disease gets worse, a patient is at serious risk for permanent vision loss. Early detection of diabetic retinopathy by eye care specialists is important for the management and treatment of complications.

Diabetic Macular Edema

Diabetic macular edema is a serious complication that develops in patients with diabetic retinopathy. If left untreated diabetic retinopathy can cause blood vessels in the retina to build pressure in the eye and leak blood and other fluids. Swelling and thickening of the macula, the area in the center of the retina that processes precise, central vision, can occur as the fluid accumulates. Without specialized eye care intervention, diabetic macular edema will eventually result in blindness.