Get Help Preserving Your Sight
Preserving your family’s health is what drives us every day. If you or a loved one is affected by diabetes, please get in touch with our team to book a comprehensive eye exam.
Learn more about your vision with Dr. McCurdy and find helpful strategies for keeping your eyes healthy, clear, and comfortable.
How Does Diabetes Affect Your Eyes?
Diabetes is a health condition that affects how your body processes glucose, also known as blood sugar.
High blood sugar increases the risk of several diseases, including ones that affect your eyes. While living with diabetes, your body may have difficulty producing or using insulin to help manage your blood sugar levels. Over time, high blood sugar can damage blood vessels in your retina, increasing the risk of retinopathy, open-angle glaucoma, and cataracts.
Common Diabetes-Related Eye Concerns
- Crystalline lens
- Optic nerve
- Retinal arteries and veins
Eye exams could also reveal symptoms of diabetes even if you haven’t been diagnosed yet. If diabetes is a concern for you, please visit your eye doctor regularly.
There are 2 types of diabetic retinopathy:
- Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy: a common version of the disease. It slowly affects the retina and increases the risk of vision loss.
- Proliferative diabetic retinopathy: an advanced version of the disease. It occurs when abnormal blood vessels develop in your retina over time, creating scar tissue and increasing the risk of retinal detachment.
Your risk of developing this disease increases if you smoke, have high blood pressure, or have high cholesterol.
Diabetic Macular Edema
Diabetic macular edema is an issue that may develop if you have diabetic retinopathy.
As fluids leak from your retinal blood vessels, they can accumulate under your macula and cause it to swell. Over time, you may develop various central vision problems like blurriness, double vision, washed-out colors, or floaters.
Learn more about open-angle glaucoma by visiting our Eye Disease Diagnosis & Management page.
Learn more about cataracts on our Adult & Senior Eye Exam page.
Uncover More About Your Eye Health
It’s time to understand the relationship between your body and eyes. If you live with diabetes, eye exams can detect problems and allow us to preserve your eyesight.
Book your next appointment with us today.