Diabetes can affect a lot of different aspects of your health. However, diabetes doesn’t have to be in control of your life. With the right help from your healthcare team, you can manage your symptoms and possibly protect yourself from eye issues caused by diabetes.
Please, book your next eye exam with us today!
Diabetes is a systemic disease that can occur when your body starts producing more sugar (glucose) than it does insulin. With a higher degree of sugar in your blood, it can begin to affect your health, including your eyes, heart, and teeth.
Diabetes is prevalent across the globe, and nearly 2.3 million Canadians live with the disease. Patients are often required to inject insulin, which allows the body to transform sugar in your bloodstream into energy.
If you have diabetes, you should have annual eye exams to help monitor the disease and how it’s affecting your eye health and vision.
Diabetes is related to a variety of eye diseases and conditions, including:
Diabetic retinopathy is a common eye disease that could develop when you have diabetes.
Diabetic retinopathy occurs when higher sugar levels damage blood vessels behind your eye. When this happens, your retina may attempt to grow new blood vessels to help compensate. However, these vessels are very delicate and can leak fluids into your retina and macula, permanently damaging your vision.
Diabetic macular edema can occur alongside diabetic retinopathy. When the blood vessels behind your retina begin to leak or bulge, your macula can swell, leading to vision loss.
Open-angle glaucoma is one of the most common eye diseases patients face, and the chances of developing it double with diabetes.
Open-angle glaucoma occurs when tiny blockages form in the drainage canal of your eye, also known as the trabecular meshwork. These blockages can then prevent your intraocular fluids from leaving your eye, which can increase intraocular pressure and damage your optic nerve, causing permanent vision loss.
Cataracts can develop when your crystalline lens becomes denser and more opaque, resulting in a cloudy-milky appearance that can impair your vision.
Optometrists can help manage cataracts by using glasses or contact lenses, but the only way to treat cataracts is through cataract surgery.
Optos retinal photography is a tool we use to help take detailed photos of your retina. This non-invasive system can help generate images at lightning-fast speeds and allow your optometrist to detect symptoms of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.
Ocular coherence tomography (OCT) scans can create cross-sectional images of your retina. Think of OCTs like ultrasounds, but instead of using sound, OCTs use light to generate their images. At Elias Eyes, we use OCT macular cubes to help determine the health and thickness of your retina.
Your visual field is how wide of an area you can see when you’re looking at a single object. A visual field test can help determine if you have any blind spots around your vision or in your peripheral vision. Visual field tests can help detect evidence of glaucoma or retina problems caused by diabetes.
By testing your intraocular pressure, we can detect signs of glaucoma. We can help determine your eye pressure by using Goldmann or Perkins applanation tonometers.
Both tools blow a light puff of air onto the surface of your eye and can measure your eye pressure by the force of which the eye pushes back.
If you have diabetes, please book your eye exam today! Regular eye exams can provide you with the opportunity to manage your symptoms.
You can find our office right on Main Street in Humboldt, right next to Accent Insurance Services. There is ample street parking, and our office is wheelchair accessible.
Elias Eyes
