Friday, March 29, 2024
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Diabetes

Diabetes is a deadly disease that affects your blood sugar. This disease can cause heart disease, kidney failures and even vision loss. The good news is that diabetes can be controlled and managed with proper eye care before problems like vision loss begin to occur. Most diabetics can live normal and healthy lives with a healthy diet and appropriate exercise. The National Eye Institute recommends diabetics have an annual diabetic eye exam. 

Diabetic eyeDiabetic Vision

Diabetic eye disease can include Cataracts, Glaucoma and Diabetic Retinopathy. Diabetic Retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in American adults. Diabetic Retinopathy is when your blood sugars start to negatively affect your blood vessels in your eyes. The sugar in your blood tears up and weakens the cell walls that make up your blood vessels. The result is a leak or ooze of fluid from those vessels. As these structures grow weak, the body reacts by trying to grow new blood vessels. However these new vessels are not structurally sound as they grow and they too leak and ooze. All these leaky vessels ooze, the fluid builds up on the retina and suffocates it, resulting in vision loss. 

 

Generally there are no symptoms leading up to Diabetic Retinopathy. There is no pain associated and your vision may not be affected until the disease is at severe stages. This is why continuing to have annual exams despite changes in vision is key to effectively managing your health as a diabetic. 

Dr. O'Connor does not perform surgeries or laser procedures for Diabetic Retinopathy but she is committed to providing the best eye care for her patients. Working closely with many ophthalmologists, she will be able to refer you for any procedure or surgery you may need. 

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