​  Focus  of  the  Month
November:  Diabetic  Eye  Exam  Month!

November: Diabetic Eye Exam Month!
​Eye exams are important for everyone to get, but it becomes even more critical when you have health conditions. Believe it or not, optometrists can tell a lot about a patient’s health by looking at their eyes. Diabetes is a perfect example of this.
           
Diabetes is one of the most common conditions that we see in an eye doctor’s office. Blurred vision is one of the symptoms of diabetes; if your blood sugar is uncontrolled, it can cause sudden changes to your vision.

As your blood sugar evens out, this will stabilize. However, over time, diabetes can severely impact your vision and even cause blindness. If your diabetes is not controlled well, or if you’ve had diabetes for a long time, it can cause diabetic retinopathy. According to the Mayo Clinic, when this happens, the blood vessels in your eyes first start to weaken and thin, then to leak. These blood vessels start to close off and new ones begin to form. However, these new ones are abnormal and don’t fulfill they’re proper function. They can start to leak into the vitreous (the jelly-like substance that fills your eye. Eventually, the new blood vessels can cause scar tissue that will either cause a retinal detachment or put pressure on your optic nerve and cause glaucoma. This condition can cause lots of problems, but the good news is that it is preventable! Controlling your blood sugar well can maintain the state of your eyes for years, sometimes decades.

When we see our diabetic patients, we always aske them about their blood sugar levels and A1C. Dr. Humpherys and Dr. Palmer make sure to take a very careful look at your eyes and send a report to your doctor so they know how your eyes are doing. If you have diabetes, it is very important to have an eye exam at least once a year, and more if needed. Schedule your appointment with our doctors today!