Our Lloydminster Optometrists Explain Diabetes and Eye Disease

Did you know that diabetes and eye diseases have a strong relationship? At Violet Eyes Optometry, we have ample experience conducting diabetic eye exams and explaining the relationship between diabetes and eye disease to our Lloydminster patients. Don’t forget to visit us today for more personalized information about your eyes. Complications of diabetes that affect eye health include:

• Changes in myopia, hyperopia, and early-onset presbyopia (see our Eye Conditions page for brief descriptions of these conditions)
• Double vision, floaters, blurriness
• Vision loss
• Diabetic retinopathy

If you have diabetes, regular check-ups with your optometrist can help prevent vision loss due to diabetes.

Diabetic Retinopathy

According to the Canadian Association of Optometrists, diabetic retinopathy is detected in 20% of newly-diagnosed diabetes cases. Since retinopathy is an advanced form of diabetes-related eye disease, this statistic suggests that patients may have been suffering the effects of retinopathy four to seven years before it is even diagnosed.

Diabetes causes abnormalities in the blood vessels that feed oxygen to the retina. Without adequate oxygen, the retina begins to die. If left unchecked, blindness may ensue. Damage is often irreversible, but if detected early, there are treatments available such as injections, laser therapy, and surgery. You can also proactively keep your diabetes under control to avoid this disease.

Get Your Eyes Checked

A comprehensive eye exam conducted by a certified optometrist is necessary to detect problems like diabetic retinopathy. Routine sight tests that measure things like how far you can see clearly are often performed by non-medical professionals and not sufficient. Doctors of optometry use sophisticated equipment and microscopes, assessing your eye health with techniques such as:

• Talking with you to understand your eye health history and history of diabetes
• Measuring your visual acuity – how clearly you can see near and far
• Measuring refraction
• Dilating the pupil to examine the retina and other structures
• Measuring eye pressure
• Retinal photography or tomography – where we document your retina and optic nerve 
• Fluorescein angiography – used to detect the growth of abnormal blood vessels

As with most other eye disorders, early detection is key to effective treatment. Book an appointment with one of our optometrists at Violet Eyes Optometry today to learn more about diagnosing diabetes and eye disease at our Lloydminster clinic.