Diabetic Eye Care

Eyecare is a top priority for those who suffer from diabetes. It’s essential to partner with a specialist in diabetic eye care to ensure that you enjoy the best possible eyesight throughout your life. A disease of the eye, known as diabetic retinopathy, is a serious condition that affects those with both types of diabetes (types 1 and 2). Anyone who has been diagnosed with pre-diabetes should also be monitored for the condition.

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

• Causes
• Symptoms

Causes

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that develops due to persistently high levels of sugar in the blood. Over time, this can cause damage to the blood vessels within the retina of the eye. If uncontrolled, it can lead to blindness.

Symptoms

The condition has two distinct stages: early diabetic retinopathy and advanced diabetic retinopathy. During the early stage, there are rarely any symptoms. As the condition progresses and moves into the more advanced stage, symptoms might include:

• Pain
• Vision deterioration
• The appearance of new floaters
• Redness of the eye
• Sudden vision loss

While this can sound very frightening, those who suffer from diabetes should understand that good monitoring and treatment can dramatically slow the progression. Even if vision has significantly deteriorated, the most skilled diabetic retinopathy specialist has an armory of treatments to help improve your eyesight.

Diabetic Eye Care

• Diabetic eye care: the monitoring stage
• Diabetic eye care: the treatment stage

Diabetic eye care: the monitoring stage

This can last for many years, during which you should be monitored by your specialist at least twice a year. In some cases, this might be every three months. No treatment is necessary during this stage and your eyesight isn’t affected. There are many lifestyle changes you can implement to further slow the progression of the disease:

• Take care to keep your blood sugar within normal levels
• Take steps to lower blood pressure and cholesterol if these are outside of normal ranges
• Don’t smoke
• Don’t drink alcohol to excess
• Take regular exercise
• Eat a healthy diet
• Take any diabetes medication as prescribed

The best diabetic eye care monitoring will include the following eye checks:

• A dilated eye exam
• Vision test
• Eye pressure tests
• Monitoring for cataracts

Other procedures might be considered if your ophthalmologist deems them necessary.

Diabetic eye care: the treatment stage

Treatment is only carried out if the screening identifies that the condition has progressed significantly and is a threat to your vision. There are currently three options available.

• Injections: Different types of medications can be injected into the eye. The aim of this is to prevent the growth of any abnormal blood vessels within the eye.
• Surgery: Used when there’s scar tissue within the eye or a large amount of blood has leaked from the vessels.
• Laser treatments: These are the most advanced options available, with two different types used. They are performed under local anesthetic over multiple sessions.

The field of diabetic eye care is constantly advancing. This is why it’s important to partner with a true expert in the field to ensure that you can have the latest treatment, should it become necessary.

The West Boca Eye Center is a Center of Excellence for Diabetic Eye Care

Close monitoring and timely treatment are crucial to slow the progression of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic eye care is a true specialty at the WBEC, with the latest proven, cutting-edge treatments offered. For those who demand the ultimate monitoring and treatment service, the team led by Dr. Brent Bellotte provides world-leading clinical excellence.Visit https://westbocaeyecenter.com/services/diabetic-retinopathy/ to find out more and call the friendly team today to book your consultation.