Diabetic Eye Exams

Preserving Your Eye Health

North Park Optometry is your home of comprehensive, health-focused eye care! Using several exam techniques and technologies, we can observe how diabetes affects your eye health and help preserve your sight.

If you’re among over 37 million Americans living with diabetes, protect your eye health and book an appointment with us today.

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Your Eye Health & Body: It’s All Connected

Diabetes is a health condition that affects your body’s ability to process glucose (sugar) in your bloodstream. A high amount of glucose in your blood can increase your risk of developing a range of conditions and diseases, including some that can affect your eyes.

However, it’s very difficult to notice eye health problems alone. If you have diabetes, we recommend having annual eye exams so we can monitor your eyes and detect potential diseases and conditions.

Detecting Diabetic Eye Concerns

A comprehensive eye exam is the first step toward managing your eye health and correcting your vision. However, if you have diabetes, we may use advanced technologies that give us exceptional details of your eyes:

These devices give us a comprehensive view of your eye’s internal structures and provide us with the information we need to detect and manage potential diabetes-related eye problems.

The most common diabetic eye conditions include retinopathy, macular edema, open-angle glaucoma, and cataracts.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that occurs when high blood sugar levels affect your retina’s blood vessels.

Over time, these blood vessels can bulge, break, and leak fluids into your retina, leading to permanent vision loss. In severe cases, your retina may also develop abnormal blood vessels to manage fluid loss, increasing the risk of retinal detachment.

Diabetic Macular Edema

Diabetic macular edema is an eye disease that can develop alongside diabetic retinopathy.

As fluids leak from broken vessels in your retina, they can accumulate under your macula, causing it to swell. The macula is responsible for providing central vision, and as you develop diabetic macular edema, you may experience permanent central vision loss.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a complex group of eye diseases that occur when high internal eye pressure damages your optic nerve, which provides information from your eyes to your brain.

Some researchers believe glaucoma occurs when abnormal blood vessels block your eye’s drainage system, while others believe fluid leaking from diabetic macular edema may collect in the retina, leading to glaucoma.

Cataracts

Cataracts are one of the most common eye conditions people develop with age, but diabetes can increase your risk of developing them earlier in life.

According to researchers, high sugar content in your eyes can affect the structure of your eye’s natural lens. The lens may stiffen over time, forming a milky, foggy appearance that affects your vision.

We’re Here to Protect Your Sight

If you have diabetes, our doctors are ready to help preserve your sight. All you have to do is book an appointment, and our doctors can take it from there.

Book Appointment