Diabetic Eye Exam

A Woman with diabetes when gets pregnant has a higher chance of catching diabetic retinopathy than someone who is not pregnant and has diabetes. The doctor will recommend more eye exams for pregnant women than the ones who are not pregnant. 

Your chances of developing diabetic retinopathy are higher if your diabetes isn’t under control. Strict precautions and glycemic control are important and effective to control diabetic retinopathy. Early detection of diabetes and working in collaboration with your doctor's recommendation is really important. 

Having multiple medical conditions or disease increase your chances of developing retinopathy. The medical conditions could be high blood pressure, heart disease, and high cholesterol.

Hispanics and African-Americans are at higher risk for developing diabetic retinopathy as compared to other ethnic groups and populations.

People who are smokers and have diabetes have higher chances of developing diabetic retinopathy.

Treatment aims to slow or stop the development of diabetic retinopathy. Does the exact treatment depend on what type of retinopathy you are facing? And what is its severity? And how have you maintained your diabetes? You are likely to be treated by any of the following methods:

You might or might not be recommended for any treatment if your diabetic retinopathy isn’t causing any damage or isn’t severe. Annual eye exams are still recommended as it is the only way your doctor can see any variations in your health.

You should opt for a healthy lifestyle and look at your blood sugar level to decrease the chances of severing your retinopathy.

If the diabetic retinopathy has advanced you will be recommended a focal laser treatment. The treatment will slow or stop the rupture or leakage from your vessels by burning the anomalous blood vessels. This treatment is like to stop further symptoms and might even reverse its effects. 

Diabetes is a type of disease that leaves its impact on many areas of a person’s body especially your eyes, by raising the chances of eye diseases like cataracts and glaucoma. The core concern for people with diabetes is the chances of getting diabetic retinopathy. 

 Diabetic retinopathy is a condition where the blood vessels in your retina get damaged. The retina is a light-sensitive part on the back of your eye. As the damage gets severe you start to lose your vision leading to blindness at worst. With time your eyesight might get less intense, blurry, or begin to fade.

Diabetes type 1 or type 2 patients are more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy. Managing and learning how to control diabetes is important for such patients. 

The condition might not have any symptoms in its early stages or could be mild to non-noticeable, but later on, it could become a big cause of the problem. You must get a doctor's appointment if you start to see any of these symptoms:

• Dots, or floaters and dark strings in your vision
• Empty or dark areas in your vision
• Blurry vision
• Difficulty in focusing
• Eyesight changes that seem to fluctuate
• Changed color vision
• Partial or total vision loss

Usually, diabetic retinopathy starts to develop in both eyes and at the same time with equal symptoms. Even if you are experiencing any or multiple given issue (s) in only one eye it doesn’t mean you are free from diabetic retinopathy. But it could also be an indication of any other health problem. Make an appointment with your optometrist to get started with the treatment. 
 

The buildup of additional sugar in your blood can lead to multiple health issues. Talking about your eyes excessive glucose damages the tiny vessels supplying blood to your retina. With time the damage leads to blockage in blood flow. 

Chronic damage to the blood vessels of the retina makes changes in your vision. Here is how, when the blood flow to your eye is limited, the eye tries to fix the problem and starts growing new blood vessels. The procedure of growing new blood vessels is known as neovascularization. The new vessels created don’t have the strength as those of the old and original ones. This type of behavior results in leaks or ruptures resulting in negative impacts on your vision. 

The longer you have been suffering from diabetes the more chance you have of developing diabetic retinopathy and other overall health complications.

Diabetic retinopathy is something all diabetes patients should be concerned about. However, some other factors might also affect the development of retinopathy:

Eyesight issues are often corrected on their own once the treatment has been done and your eyes have healed. Your doctor might treat any permanent vision changes by using vision aids like glasses or contact lenses. 

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, then diabetic eye diseases aren’t far behind to hit you with serious vision problems. A diabetic patient should follow up with annual diabetic eye exams for his/her eye health. Most people aren’t aware of the term diabetic child but such a thing does exist in today’s world so better get your little ones checked up for any signs.