Diabetic Eye Care

Diabetes is a disease that prevents your body from making or using insulin to break down sugar in your bloodstream.  Diabetes and its complications can affect many parts of the eye.  Diabetes can cause changes in nearsightedness and farsightedness that are often temporary.  It can cause the development of cataracts, glaucoma, and strabismus (a lack of eye alignment).  Visual symptoms of diabetes include fluctuating or blurring of vision, occasional double vision, night vision problems, and flashes and floaters within the eyes.

The most serious eye problem associated with diabetes is diabetic retinopathy.  Diabetic retinopathy occurs when there is a weakening of the tiny blood vessels in the retina of your eye, resulting in blood leakage, the growth of new blood vessels and other changes.  If diabetic retinopathy is left untreated, blindness can result.

Doctor Ringel works closely with the primary care physicians in the surrounding community to ensure that patients receive appropriate diabetic eye care. Patients are usually unaware that they have a problem until they lose vision.  When patients receive an annual eye examination at our office they are checked carefully for diabetic retinopathy. Photographs are taken of the retina to follow potential problem areas. Regular communication is made between our office and your doctor's office with respect to our findings.

When necessary patients are referred to a retina specialist for laser treatments or even surgery.

Blindness from diabetes is very preventable. Having an eye examination at the time of your diabetes diagnosis and then annually thereafter will help ensure that healthy vision is maintained for years.