What do Doctors Look For in a Diabetic Eye Disease Screening?
People with diabetes need to have many more checkups than usual, and it’s easy to forget about a few over time or decide to do them without professional help. This may work for parts that are easy to see, but it’s not sufficient for areas that cannot be looked at without instruments. That’s why we urge patients to come in to see our optometrist in South Windsor for a diabetic eye disease screening on the recommended basis. This is essential to preserving one of the things that diabetes targets: eyesight.
Diabetic Retinopathy
This is a disease that involves the blood vessels of the retina, which are adversely affected by high blood sugar levels. Despite having one name, it can actually take three forms. With one form, the blood vessels swell and leak. Another takes the opposite path, with the vessels sealing and drying up. Finally, abnormal new blood vessels can grow. All three forms can lead to vision damage or blindness.
Diabetic Macular Edema
One of the possible sequelae of diabetic retinopathy is macular edema, which happens when the blood vessels in the retina leak fluid. Blurry vision, floaters, and double vision are hallmark signs. Without treatment, blindness results. It is treated with laser therapy.
Glaucoma and Cataracts
These problems can happen to anyone, but they’re more prevalent in diabetics. Therefore, a diabetic eye disease screening will include tests for these diseases.
Glaucoma often involves extreme pressure in the eye that eventually damages it and leads to blindness. The term also encompasses other conditions that lead to the optic nerve becoming damaged. Untreated, it typically leads to blindness.
When the lens of the eye thickens and gets cloudy, it is called a cataract. Eventually, it can become cloudy enough to prevent vision. As with glaucoma, modern developments in treatment have provided great help to patients. It is now possible to replace a cloudy lens with one that is not only clear but is capable of proper focus.
Prevention
Carefully controlling your blood sugar is recommended for the prevention of all of the many possible negative effects associated with diabetes. However, even with high caution, your risk of certain problems will remain increased, though not by as much. Therefore, you should always employ the second line of defense as well, which is thorough checkups by doctors who specialize in all of the problems associated with the main disease. This way, they can be spotted and treated before they reach their critical stages.
Contact Our Local Eye Doctors in South Windsor for More Information Today!
To schedule your next diabetic eye disease screening, just give us a call here at Prudhomme Vision in South Windsor, CT. Our number is (860) 644-3364. We’ll be glad to help you make sure that your eyes are in good shape or provide needed treatments.