Diabetes and Eye Health

Just as it can have an impact throughout your body, diabetes can affect your eyes and vision. This is why we and most primary care doctors recommend people who have diabetes to have a dilated eye exam once a year. When blood sugar is chronically elevated, blood cannot carry enough oxygen to the retina in the back of the eye. As a result these blood vessels can leak, the retina can swell, or new blood vessels form and permanently damage the retina. In mild cases these changes do not affect vision, but if left unchecked damage from diabetes can result in permanent vision loss. Diabetic eye exams can be billed to major medical insurance, and we always report to your primary care doctor to improve your overall health. If you have diabetes and haven't had an eye exam in over a year, please schedule one as soon as possible.