Diabetes is a condition that affects many parts of the body, but the eyes are especiallysusceptible. Diabetes makes it more difficult for the body to turn what we eat into usableenergy. This causes excess glucose/sugar to circulate in the blood which weakens the bloodvessels. Small blood vessels are affected first so the kidneys, feet, and eyes are mostvulnerable to changes.

Diabetic eye disease, also known as diabetic retinopathy, is a condition where the blood vesselsin the back of the eye (also called the retina) are damaged. When blood vessels are weakened,they leak fluid and cause swelling. In the beginning stages, diabetic eye disease often has littleeffect on vision and therefore goes unnoticed. As the swelling gets worse, vision will get blurry.If blood sugar is very uncontrolled new blood vessels can grow and cause permanent damage,which leads to various degrees of irreversible vision loss, including blindness. The main riskfactors are the length of time with diabetes and uncontrolled blood sugar. The best way to treatdiabetic retinopathy is to get blood sugar under control and to have regular follow-ups with aneye care professional to monitor the condition.

All patients with diabetes should have an annual eye exam with dilation. A diabetic eye examchecks the health of the back of the eyes to rule out any changes that could cause vision loss. Ifchanges are present, we would recommend treatments to preserve vision. Regular follow-upsand early detection of diabetic changes play a key role in minimizing changes in vision due todiabetes. It is best to catch diabetic eye disease at the earlier stages because more can bedone to change the course of the disease. If you are diabetic or prediabetic and have not hadyour annual eye exam, please call our office and our staff will help schedule an appointmentwith one of our doctors.