Diabetic Eye Care

For men and women living with diabetes, diabetic eye care is an important part of overall health and wellness. For those in Oak Brook, Illinois, Next Level Retina serves as a valuable resource in getting the screening, preventive care, and treatment needed to maintain healthy vision. Don’t let diabetes rob you of your eyesight; book a personalized consultation with Neel Lamba, MD, MBA. You can schedule by phone or by using the simple online booking tool.

How does diabetes affect eye health?

Diabetes is a chronic disease in which excess glucose, or sugar, builds up in your blood. That glucose places undue pressure on all aspects of your circulatory system, including the tiny blood vessels that nurture your eyes.

If you have diabetes, you also have an increased risk of:

• Blurry vision
• Cataracts
• Glaucoma
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Vision loss

To prevent these conditions, or to reduce their impact on your vision and eye health, you should make every effort to manage your diabetes and reduce your blood sugar.

What is diabetic retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition caused by damaged blood vessels in your retina, the collection of cells on the back of your eye that gather light and convert it into images. When those cells are damaged, you experience vision loss.

There are multiple stages of diabetic retinopathy. As the condition worsens, the blood vessels in the back of your eye swell, distort, and eventually become blocked. Your body responds by creating new blood vessels, which intrude into other areas of your eye and can cause retinal detachment and permanent vision loss.

What are some good diabetic eye care options?

The most important thing diabetics can do to take care of their eyes is to schedule routine diabetic eye exams with a specialist experienced in this type of care. 

At Next Level Retina, you have access to some of the most highly sought-after optometrists in the region, all of whom have the training and experience needed to conduct comprehensive diabetic eye exams.

A dilated retinal exam is a great option for examining the back portion of your eye to search for blood vessel abnormalities. State-of-the-art imaging offers the chance to gather information about this area of your eye without the need for dilation.

A diabetic eye exam includes many of the same elements as a routine eye exam but with an additional focus on the challenges diabetes presents. Your specialist customizes the process to meet your unique eye health needs and can advise you on the right timing for future exams.

To learn more about diabetic eye care and explore screening options, schedule a consultation at Next Level Retina today. You can book a visit online, or call to speak with a member of the administrative staff.