If you suffer from diabetes, you’re at an increased risk of developing a number of serious health complications, including eye problems like diabetic eye disease. For this reason, it’s crucial that you visit your ophthalmologist in Chicago regularly for eye exams and comprehensive eye care. Here are some important facts about diabetic eye disease that you should discuss with your eye doctor.

What is Diabetic Eye Disease?

Diabetic eye disease is a group of eye conditions that eye doctors commonly diagnose in people who have diabetes. These eye conditions include diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataracts, and glaucoma. These conditions are either caused by diabetes or diabetes complications. When someone with diabetes has chronically high blood sugar, the blood vessels in the retina may become damaged, resulting in diabetic retinopathy. If untreated by an ophthalmologist, this condition may progress to diabetic macular edema, which causes a build up of fluid in the retina that eventually results in blindness.

Symptoms of Diabetic Eye Disease

In its early stages, diabetic retinopathy does not cause any significant symptoms. The longer that the condition progresses without intervention by an eye doctor, however, the more severe the symptoms will become. The retinal blood vessels can begin to bleed and cause an increase in floaters in the eye. If the condition progresses and diabetic macular edema develops, you will experience blurred vision, other changes in vision that resist attempts at vision correction, and eventually, complete vision loss.

How Your Eye Doctor Can Treat Diabetic Eye Disease

Once diabetic retinopathy progresses to diabetic macular edema, your eye doctor has a few different eye care treatment options. Depending upon your symptoms, your ophthalmologist may recommend laser eye surgery, or medication. Laser eye surgery corrects damaged and leaking blood vessels in the retina using laser heat. Your eye doctor may also try to correct macular edema via corticosteroid injections, or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor. These injections can be used in addition to, or instead of, laser eye surgery.

People with diabetes must visit their ophthalmologist or eye doctor in Chicago regularly for eye care. Diabetes increases your risk of developing certain eye conditions, including diabetic eye disease, vision loss, and blindness. To lower this risk, and your need for future vision correction, you should take the time to learn more about these eye conditions, start by reading these answers to common questions about diabetic eye disease.

What Eye Conditions Are Grouped Among Diabetic Eye Diseases?

Diabetic eye disease encompasses a group of eye conditions for which someone with diabetes may be at increased risk. These conditions include glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy. Glaucoma results from an increase of the fluid pressure within the eye, which eventually causes optic nerve damage and vision loss. Cataracts are caused by a clouding of the eye’s lens, leading to vision problems that require eye correction. The most common is diabetic retinopathy, which is caused by damage to the retinal blood vessels.

What Are Their Symptoms?

Glaucoma causes few initial symptoms, and most patients don’t realize that they have the condition until they suffer from peripheral vision loss. The condition can also cause headaches, blurred vision, eye pain, eye redness, nausea, tunnel vision, and seeing halos around lights. Cataract symptoms include vision that is cloudy, dimmed, or blurry, seeing halos around lights, light sensitivity, poor night vision, distortion of color perception, and a need for progressively increased vision correction. Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy occur later in the disease’s progression, and include floaters, blurry vision, impaired color vision, an intermittent need for vision correction, and vision loss.

How Can I Prevent Diabetic Eye Disease?

You can’t prevent diabetic eye disease, but you can significantly lower your risk of developing an eye condition, or of suffering from vision loss if an eye condition develops. If you suffer from diabetes, you must visit your ophthalmologist for eye care once a year, including a comprehensive, dilated eye exam. If your eye doctor detects symptoms of an eye condition early enough, your treatment and vision correction will be much more effective.

Floaters and flashers impair vision, and may be symptomatic of a more serious eye condition. If you experience persistent or progressively worsening floaters or flashers, you should visit an eye doctor or ophthalmologist in Chicago for eye care as soon as possible. Both floaters and flashers result from changes to the vitreous fluid caused by aging.

Floaters appear as small, moving specks that interfere with your vision. They are caused by the movement of small cells or clumps of material in the vitreous fluid that cast shadows on the retina. Flashers appear as sudden and swift flashes or streaks of light, which may occur intermittently and persistently for several weeks.

As you age, the vitreous fluid shrinks, forming clumps or strands. If it detaches from the wall of the eye, known as posterior vitreous attachment, you’ll experience floaters and flashers. If you’ve sustained an eye injury, are over 45, or have severe nearsightedness, you should visit an eye doctor or ophthalmologist immediately after a sudden increase in floaters or flashers, loss of peripheral vision, or a sudden need for vision correction. These may be symptoms of retinal detachment, which may cause blindness.

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.

Cataracts are a relatively common condition, and become even more common with age. Almost 25% of people between the ages of 64 and 69 have cataracts, and the percentage rises with age. Cataracts occur when the lens inside the eye becomes clouded, affecting your ability to see. As cataracts get worse, your vision will grow increasingly impaired. Instead of living with vision loss, consider cataract treatment near Chicago so you can see as well as—if not better than—you did before. Advances in intraocular lens technology allow your eye surgeon to implant lenses that correct cataracts as well as vision issues such as nearsightedness and astigmatism. Take a look at this infographic to learn more about cataract surgery and how it can benefit you. Please share with your friends and family!

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.

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If your eye doctor or ophthalmologist has determined that you need vision correction, he may recommend contact lenses. Other than eye surgery, contact lenses are typically the most effective form of vision correction. If you’re interested in contact lenses in Chicago , take some time to read about your different contact lens options.

If you suffer from severe astigmatism, your eye doctor may suggest rigid, gas permeable contact lenses. These are often called hard contact lenses, because they are made from an inflexible material. Gas permeable lenses are worn for a full year, and are more resistant to breaking or ripping than soft contact lenses.

Eye doctors more commonly prescribe disposable contact lenses, or soft contact lenses, for vision correction. These lenses are typically worn for one or two months before throwing them away and using a fresh, new pair. They are sold in boxes of six, and you can purchase up to a year’s supply of lenses at one time. Daily wear contact lenses are worn for a full day, and removed and stored while you sleep. Extended wear contact lenses are soft contact lenses that are worn day and night for a week at a time.

October is home eye safety month, which provides you and your eye doctor with the perfect opportunity to discuss eye care in Chicago , and how to practice eye safety at home. About half of the country’s annual eye injuries occur in the home, while undergoing normal daily tasks. Protecting your eyes in your home will greatly reduce your risk of needing costly visits to the ophthalmologist for eye treatments or eye surgery. Here are some ways that you can practice at-home eye safety.

Wear Eye Protection When Necessary

Most people don’t think it’s necessary to wear protective eye gear in their own home. Safety goggles are completely essential when performing some household activities. If you’re using tools for household repairs or renovations, such as hammers, drills, or saws, you must protect your eyes from dust, sawdust, flying debris, or tool malfunction. Eye protection is also necessary when spraying certain hazardous chemicals or cleaning products inside or outside of the home. You should also always wear eye protection when playing sports at your home.

Use Extreme Caution When Handling Chemicals

When you’re using hazardous chemicals or dangerous cleaning agents in your home, you should always use extreme caution. Read all warning labels prior to use, and never mix two products together without consulting with a professional. Use hazardous products in a well-ventilated area. If there is any chance that the products will become airborne, or if you’re spraying them inside or outside, protect your eyes from chemical contact. Always wash your hands thoroughly after using any hazardous chemicals or cleaning products.

Keep Pathways and Walkways Clear

If you trip and fall, you run the risk of injuring your eyes, as well as other parts of your body. Ensure that all walkways, pathways, and staircases have sufficient lighting. Stairs should also have handrails. To prevent accidents, keep all common walkways, pathways, and staircases free from hazards and debris, such as shoes, toys, appliances, and furniture. Secure any rugs or carpeting so that they don’t provide a trip or fall risk.

Eye injuries can necessitate costly eye care or even eye surgery from an ophthalmologist in Chicago . Wearing safety eyewear in your home, workshop, garage, yard, or workplace can protect your eyes from injury and damage. Your eye can sustain significant injury from airborne chemicals, dust, and debris, so it’s important to protect yourself from potential harm.

Watch this video to learn more about the importance of safety eyewear. You’ll learn about the safety risks in the home and workplace that can cause serious injury. Taking the necessary eye care precautions can significantly reduce your risk of injury and damage to your eye.