If you suffer from diabetes, you can lower your risk of developing serious eye conditions by visiting an eye doctor on a yearly basis for comprehensive eye care and vision correction in Chicago. Diabetics are vulnerable to glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, blurry vision, and even complete vision loss.

Watch this video for valuable information about why diabetics are at a higher risk of blurry vision than others. You’ll learn about which eye conditions blurry vision is often symptomatic of, and how seeking professional eye care from an eye doctor or ophthalmologist can provide vision correction and relief from blurry vision.

Diabetic retinopathy is a serious eye condition that results from diabetes complications, and that may be less of a risk if the patient makes regular, yearly visits to an eye doctor for eye care in Chicago . The condition is caused by damage to the blood vessels in the eye’s retina, and at first may not result in any noticeable symptoms. If you suffer from diabetes, your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy increases over time, and is compounded by improper or infrequent eye care. To learn how to lower this risk, read this helpful guide to diabetic retinopathy.

Causes and Symptoms

When a diabetic’s blood sugar level is elevated over a long period of time, the tiny blood vessels that supply nourishment to the retina can become blocked. When the retina’s blood supply is cut off, it attempts to create new blood vessels, which may not develop properly. These abnormal blood vessels may leak fluid and blood into the vitreous fluid of your eye. People rarely experience early symptoms of diabetic retinopathy, but as the disease progresses, symptoms become severe. These symptoms include floaters, blurred vision, impaired color vision, dark spots that obstruct your vision, an intermittent need for vision correction, and complete vision loss.

Risk Factors and Complications

Your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy increases the longer you have diabetes, and is compounded by high cholesterol and blood pressure, poor regulation of blood sugar levels, pregnancy, and tobacco use. Certain races, such as Hispanic, African American, and Native American, are at an increased risk of developing the condition. Without the proper eye care from an ophthalmologist, you may suffer from very serious complications, including retinal detachment, glaucoma, vitreous hemorrhage, or blindness.

Prevention and Treatment

While you can’t completely prevent diabetic retinopathy, you can lower your risk of developing it. People with diabetes should visit their eye doctor or ophthalmologist yearly for comprehensive eye care, including a dilated vision exam. The sooner the condition is diagnosed, the more successful eye care treatment is. Treatment may include medication for diabetes management, laser eye care treatments, or eye surgery.

For patients who have diabetes, visiting an ophthalmologist near Chicago for regular exams is particularly important. This is because diabetes places patients at risk of many serious complications, including diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is characterized by damage to the tiny blood vessels located in the retina. When a patient is in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, an ophthalmologist will see very small areas of swelling in the blood vessels, which is subsequently followed by blockage of some of the blood vessels.

As the disease progresses, additional blood vessels develop blockages, which means the retina no longer receives enough blood. Subsequently, the retina instructs the brain to grow new blood vessels, which is known as proliferative retinopathy. Unfortunately, these new blood vessels are quite fragile and can leak blood. As a result, vision loss occurs. Vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy can also occur when fluid leaks into the macula, causing vision to become blurry. Individuals with diabetes should visit an optical center to have a dilated eye exam at least once per year. An ophthalmologist can provide early treatment for diabetic retinopathy, which may help prevent vision loss.

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working Americans. About 90 percent of severe vision loss from diabetes could be avoided, though.

There are currently about 24 million people with diabetes, many of whom will eventually be affected by vision issues that are a result of the disease. A lot of patients do not even realize that it is affecting their eyes until they experience significant vision loss.

Check out this video to learn more about diabetes and vision troubles. If you have diabetes, you should see an ophthalmologist in Chicago at least once a year to ensure that the disease is not affecting your ability to see.