The Importance of Diabetic Eye Screening

Diabetes is a disorder that inhibits the body from effectively absorbing and storing sugar. As a result, extra sugar remains in the bloodstream, which, if not regulated, can cause damage to the small blood vessels throughout the body, including those in your eyes.

Diabetic retinopathy affects 30% of those with diabetes. It develops when blood vessels within the eye begin to bleed blood and fluid into the retina, causing damage and irreversible vision loss. Early identification and treatment are critical for maintaining your vision.?

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a consequence of diabetic retinopathy that develops when the macula, the center of the retina, swells. The macula is responsible for center and color vision. When the macula expands, it affects the blood vessels, causing them to leak and resulting in vision loss.

Patients with uncontrolled blood sugar levels are more likely to develop diabetic eye disease. As a result, eye specialists urge yearly eye exams and retinal imaging screenings to diagnose the condition early and improve treatment outcomes. By frequently evaluating your eye health, you can ensure that any changes are noticed early.

How Diabetes Impacts Your Eyes

Diabetes reduces the body's capacity to regulate blood sugar. Because sugar may induce inflammation, a diabetic may suffer inflammatory damage to many tissues in their body, including the retina, which is located on the inside rear of the eye. High blood sugar levels damage the blood vessels in the retina, causing the tiny blood vessels that feed blood to the retinal tissue to leak and irritate. If not treated appropriately, this can eventually result in full visual loss.

How Does a Diabetic Eye Exam Vary From a Conventional One?

Diabetic eye exams are similar to conventional eye exams in some aspects. During a diabetic eye exam, your doctor will pay special attention to the health of your retina and the integrity of your eye's blood vessels. The standard of care for a diabetic eye exam includes pupil dilation to provide a good view of your eye's inner tissues, notably your retina, optic nerve, and blood vessels.

Your eye doctor will dilate your pupils by placing special eye drops in your eye. The eye drops take around 30 minutes to act and usually result in temporarily impaired near vision and light sensitivity. These adverse effects usually fade within a few hours. Following a retinal exam, further tests may be indicated, such as optomap-enabled retinal imaging, fluorescein angiography, or optical coherence tomography.

When Should I Have a Diabetic Eye Checkup or Screening?

An annual thorough eye exam can be incorporated into your regular healthcare practice to help detect diabetic eye problems as early as feasible. Following your initial eye exam, your doctor may prescribe yearly checkups to keep track of your ocular health. If your eye doctor notices any changes during an exam, you may need to return for further tests more than once a year.

Why Are Diabetic Eye Examinations So Vital For Diabetics?

The key difficulty with diabetic retinopathy is that retinal damage frequently occurs long before symptoms appear. As a result, diabetics may be on the verge of losing their vision without realizing it.

Diabetic retinopathy is a primary cause of vision loss and blindness worldwide, affecting around one-third of adults with diabetes. Because the global diabetes population is predicted to reach significantly by 2030, it is reasonable to expect the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy to increase as well.

Furthermore, diabetic retinopathy-induced tissue damage and/or visual loss are not always reversible. However, with the right diagnosis and treatment, eyecare specialists may be able to avoid future damage. Therefore, early identification of diabetic retinopathy is crucial.