Diabetes is a group of diseases that affect your overall health. Your risk of eye disease increases if you have diabetes, making eye exams essential for your ocular health.
Regular eye exams can help protect your eye health and vision from diabetes-related eye problems. Visit us at Elevation Vision, and we can help your eyes function at their best.
Diabetes affects how insulin and blood sugar work in your body. When blood sugar rises, you release insulin, but the body of someone with diabetes doesn’t make enough insulin or cannot use insulin as well as it should.
High blood sugar can damage the blood vessels in your retina, a crucial part of your eye necessary for vision. Certain diseases can affect these blood vessels, leading to potential vision loss if left unaddressed. We can diagnose these problems during your annual eye exam.
Diabetic eye disease is a general term to describe eye diseases that can affect people with diabetes. Two possible diabetes-related eye problems patients can develop are diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.
Diabetic retinopathy is a disease that can threaten your vision. It occurs when damaged blood vessels from high blood sugar swell and leak fluid and blood into the retina. The later stages of diabetic retinopathy can lead to further bleeding, scarring, or other complications.
Diabetic macular edema is a potential complication of diabetic retinopathy occurring when the macula swells. This swelling occurs because of leaking fluid in the retina caused by diabetic retinopathy. If left untreated, continued damage to the blood vessels in the eye can lead to permanent vision loss.
We use diagnostic technologies to assess your eye’s internal structures for potential problems. Eye diseases like diabetic retinopathy can develop with little to no symptoms, making early detection vital for protecting your vision. We can diagnose these problems with technology like the Optos Optomap.
The Optos Optomap is a retinal imaging device for identifying eye disease in its earliest stages. This technology helps us take detailed images of your retina and optic nerve to diagnose conditions like glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration.
Diabetes can impact your eye health, but annual eye exams can help protect your vision. We can track changes in your vision and identify problems in their earliest stages of development. Book an appointment when it’s time for your annual eye exam—our team is here to help.
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