Diabetes affects nearly 10% of American adults.

EyeHealth Northwest physicians and surgeons are trained to diagnose and care for patients with Diabetes. Routine medical vision exams are recommended to maintain and prevent vision loss.

Contact our office to schedule your next visit.

Awareness

The prevalence of diabetes in the United States has been estimated to be at least 9.6% of adults. Obesity, which is a major contributing factor, has risen 57% since 1991.

How does Diabetes affect my vision?

The damage caused by diabetes occurs in the thin layer of nerve tissues that lines the back of the eye called the retina. The retina is nourished by many blood vessels. Over time, damage to these blood vessels affects the health of the retina. Continued damage leads to diabetic retinopathy.

What are the risk factors for developing Diabetic Retinopathy?

The risk of diabetic retinopathy is related to many factors particularly the duration of diabetes and level of diabetes control.

Other factors may aggravate the risk and severity of diabetic retinopathy. Control of these medical issues is the first-line treatment to prevent diabetic retinopathy. Medical issues and risk factors include:

• uncontrolled blood pressure
• elevated cholesterol and triglycerides
• kidney disease
• anemia
• smoking
• pregnancy

Overall, vision loss from diabetes may occur from several causes. Elevated blood sugar overtime will damage cells that line the blood vessels in the retina. This creates tiny aneurysms that leak fluid into the retina causing retinal edema. If the swelling involves the area in the retina where we focus to read, called the macula, (Diabetic Macular Edema), the vision may get very blurry.

• Laser treatment to shut down leaky aneurysms has been the mainstay of treatment. This is called Focal or Grid Laser treatment. Large studies have shown a lower incidence of vision loss with laser treatments. If diabetic macular edema is suspected, special testing of the macula may be done to look for leaking blood vessels. A fluorescein angiogram is a series of photos taken after a special vegetable dye is injected into your arm. Other medical therapies for diabetic macular edema are evolving specifically targeting the blood vessels leaking at the cellular level.
• Diabetes may also cause abnormal blood vessels to grow on the surface of the retina. This is called Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy or PDR. These new blood vessels can cause vision loss by bleeding into the center of the eye (the vitreous) or by scarring the retina. These abnormal blood vessels are treated with a pattern of hundreds of laser burns in the peripheral retina. This is called panretinal photocoagulation or PRP. PRP allows the abnormal blood vessels to shrink, and then the body can reabsorb any blood that has leaked. Studies have shown PRP laser treatment reduced severe vision loss by 50%.
• A vitrectomy is sometimes required if the blood does not reabsorb on its own or if scar tissue threatens the vision following PRP. The vitreous is a jelly-like material in the central cavity of the eye. Comparatively, a vitrectomy removes the vitreous and the non-clearing blood and replaces it with a clear salt solution. Scar tissue on the retina may also be removed at the time of a vitrectomy.

Diabetes control & good health are the best prevention of vision loss.

It has been shown that people with retinopathy had reduced vision loss by lowering their blood pressure into normal range and controlling cholesterol and triglycerides.

Your Primary Care Doctor may follow your diabetes control with a blood test called a hemoglobin A1c (Hb A1c). This test gives a good estimate of how your blood sugar has been over the previous three months. Studies have shown that a 10% decrease in the HbA1c produced a 23% to 46% reduction in developing the vision threatening diabetic retinopathy.

Regular vision exams with your EyeHealth doctor are critical in your on-going health and vision care.

To learn more, or ask questions about your risk of vision loss from Diabetes, talk with your Eyehealth doctor at your next visit. Not a patient, call us for your next Diabetic exam and learn how EyeHealth Northwest is dedicated to maintaining your eye health now--and into the future.