There’s no sugarcoating it: diabetes puts your eyes at risk.
Diabetes is a systemic disease that affects your body’s ability to produce or use insulin. Insulin is necessary for processing blood sugar (glucose) into energy. But when this sugar isn’t processed correctly, it can build up and damage organs, blood vessels, and nerves.
For organs as delicate as the eyes, the tiny, fragile blood vessels, and the optic nerve, diabetes is especially dangerous.
Although you’re unlikely to experience vision loss in the short term, diabetes leads to various ocular complications if not managed properly.
You may experience temporary blurred vision when your blood glucose is high over a short period. High blood glucose can change fluid levels or cause swelling in ocular tissues that affect your eyes’ ability to focus. This blurred vision will go away when your blood glucose levels return to normal.
More dangerously, diabetes can increase your risk of developing cataracts, glaucoma, eye muscle nerve paralysis, and diabetic eye diseases like diabetic retinopathy.
Many eye diseases progress with little to no early symptoms. But you may notice some of the following signs that could indicate a problem associated with diabetes:
The best way to prevent diabetic complications is by managing your diabetes. The Canadian Diabetes Guidelines recommend that patients with diabetes have their eyes examined every year. These exams will establish a baseline for your ocular health, which allows your optometrist to monitor your eyes over time and detect even the smallest changes in your eyes or vision.
To provide accurate and effective diagnoses, we’ve invested in state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment to help us catch the smallest signs of eye disease.
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a noninvasive imaging technology that takes detailed cross-sections of the retina using light.
These images can show even the smallest signs of optical diseases that affect the retina, including diabetic retinopathy.
The fundus is the back of the eye and includes the retina, optic nerve, and blood vessels. Using a state-of-the-art fundus camera, we can photograph the fundus in high-definition, colour images that give us a clear picture of these essential parts of the eye.
Fundus photography can show drusen, abnormal bleeding, or scar tissue, making it an invaluable diabetic eye exam tool.
An eye disease diagnosis can be scary, but we are with you every step of the way at Legacy Eye Care. Our team of highly experienced eye care professionals can provide you with an accurate diagnosis and a fully customized treatment plan to keep you comfortable and healthy, no matter your condition.
Diabetic eye exams focus only on detecting diabetic eye disease. You may combine your diabetic eye exam with your routine eye exam if you require a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Alberta Health Care covers medically necessary and urgent care optometry appointments, and we provide direct billing to all major insurance plans. If you have any questions about cost or coverage, please call our office, and our friendly staff will try to answer them.
It’s never too late to protect your eye health with regular eye exams. Even if it’s been a while since your last visit, we are always happy to see you. Please call us today to book your appointment.
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Legacy Eye Care
