Guide to Diabetic Retinopathy from Our Optometrist

Diabetes is a health condition that impacts many areas of a person’s life, including vision. If you live with diabetes, you are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. Fortunately, with early diagnosis and proper eye disease management, you can avoid or limit changes in your vision. In this guide, our team at Pflugerville Vision Care walks you through the condition and how to address it.

What Exactly Is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetes is when your body doesn’t use or store sugar as it should. This condition typically leads to high levels of sugar or glucose lingering in the blood. When this occurs, blood vessels, including those in the eye, are damaged.

Generally, this leads to blood or fluid leakage, scar tissue, and more, which distorts the images you see and damages the retina. Without care, this condition can lead to complete vision loss.

How Do I Know I’m Developing Diabetic Retinopathy?

You might not notice any symptoms in the early stages, so seeing your eye doctor is essential. By making them aware of any family history of diabetes or a diagnosis of your own, your eye doctor can complete a diabetic eye exam and begin eye disease management before it can impact your vision.

Even if you have shown no signs of the condition before, you’ll want to note any changes to your vision and report them to your optometrist at each diabetic eye exam. This information includes everything from slightly blurred vision to entirely distorted images.

How Is Diabetic Retinopathy Treated?

The first step in treating the condition is managing diabetes in general. Keeping your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels managed is one of the most effective ways to prevent damage to your vision.

Consistent monitoring of your eyesight is essential. Before you notice any vision changes, many steps can be taken, including medication, laser therapy, and more. In the later stages of the disease, we may have to resort to surgery and other procedures to preserve your vision. After thoroughly assessing your needs, our team will happily discuss your options.

Diabetic Eye Exam with Our Optometrist

If you have diabetes or the condition runs through your family, you can prevent it from stealing your eyesight. Schedule a visit with our team at Pflugerville Vision Care today by calling (512) 251-4099. We will assist you to the best of our ability.