What is diabetic eye disease?

Diabetic eye disease refers to a series of eye problems that can affect your vision if you have diabetes. If you don’t have enough insulin to break down the sugar in your blood, it can build up, negatively affecting your whole body, including your eyes. In fact, blurry vision is often one of the first diabetes warning signs. More than half of Americans with diabetes suffer from some form of diabetic eye disease.

Which eye diseases are caused by diabetes?

Diabetes can cause and raise your risk for several different eye diseases, including:

Cataracts

Much like a camera, the lens in your eye must be clear for you to see properly. When your lens gets cloudy, your vision may become blurry and foggy. While anybody can get cataracts, they typically develop much earlier if you have diabetes.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma develops when the fluid in your eyes can’t drain properly. This leads to a buildup of pressure in your eye that can damage nerves and blood vessels, often resulting in blurred vision.

Diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy refers to blood vessel damage in the retina — the light-sensitive portion of your eye — which can lead to poor night vision, blurred vision, and floaters or spots in your field of vision.

How is diabetic eye disease treated?

The first step in treating diabetic eye disease is performing a thorough diabetic eye exam. Your ophthalmologist at Eye Surgeons Associates will also use an optical coherence tomography (OCT) machine to provide the most accurate, detailed images of your eyes. These images show the thickness of your retina, so your retinal specialist can see if you have damaged blood vessels with fluid leakage.

In most cases, managing your blood sugar levels can help slow the progression and reduce the symptoms of diabetic eye disease. In more severe instances, however, Eye Surgeons Associates can perform one of the following treatments:

Intravitreal injections

Your eye is filled with a jelly-like fluid called vitreous. During this procedure, your retinal specialist injects medication directly into the vitreous, which stops your leaky blood vessels from causing any further damage. Multiple treatments may be necessary.

Laser photocoagulation

Laser photocoagulation uses targeted laser energy to close leaking blood vessels.This procedure is done in the office. Multiple sessions may be needed.

To schedule an appointment with an experienced retinal specialist, call Eye Surgeons Associates.