Every 3 minutes, a Canadian is diagnosed with diabetes. This common, chronic condition impacts your body’s ability to regulate your blood sugar. Complications from this disease can take a significant toll on your vision. Patients with diabetes have a higher risk of developing certain eye diseases.
At Glencoe Optometrists, a diabetic eye exam consists of a routine comprehensive eye exam, with additional in-depth assessments for common diabetes-related eye diseases.
Contact us for more information about diabetic eye exams or book your appointment today.
Diabetes is characterized by the body’s inability to produce or use insulin to regulate blood glucose (sugar). This can result in consistently high levels of blood glucose if unmanaged, which can damage your blood vessels, especially the delicate ones inside your eyes.
In a diabetic eye exam, your optometrist looks carefully for signs of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema. These conditions often present without any early warning symptoms or signs.
Diabetic eye diseases can result in permanent vision loss, but early diagnosis and treatment could prevent damage to your eyes.
Diabetic eye disease is a group of eye conditions that are caused by damage to the eyes and blood vessels caused by unregulated blood sugar levels.
Diabetic eye diseases can cause permanent damage to the structures of your eye, including your retina and optic nerve, leading to vision loss. However, if these conditions are caught early, we can intervene with medications and therapies that prevent the conditions from worsening and protect your eyesight.
Diabetic retinopathy occurs when high blood glucose causes damage to the blood vessels in the retina. In early stages, this damage doesn’t greatly impact vision, but in later stages, your blood vessels may die or leak fluid into your eye, causing increased internal pressure and damage to your optic nerve.
In the beginning stages of diabetic retinopathy, you may experience no symptoms or only brief moments of blurred vision. As the condition progresses, it can result in blindness.
Diabetic macular edema is characterized by damage to the macula. The macula sits in the centre of the retina, and its primary purpose is to provide sharpened detail and colour in your central vision. If the retina’s blood vessels experience continuous damage, fluid may build up in the macula, leading to diabetic macular edema.
When diabetic retinopathy is left untreated, it can result in diabetic macular edema and severely affect your central vision.
Being diagnosed with diabetic eye disease can be a life-changing experience, but these conditions can be treated and managed if caught in the early stages.
Glencoe Optometrists is dedicated to protecting vision from diabetic complications. We strive to diagnose and treat eye conditions as early as we can to protect our patients’ visual health.
Contact us with any questions about diabetic eye exams.
We’re right on the corner of Main and Water. There’s plenty of off-street parking available.
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