Diabetic Eye Care

Long-term, uncontrolled diabetes can cause progressive damage to the eye's retina, resulting in vision loss. In its early stages, diabetic retinopathy is painless and often produces no symptoms. If this non-proliferative or background retinopathy leads to macular edema, you may notice a gradual blurring of your vision. Reading and other close work may become more difficult. If the abnormal blood vessels bleed, vision may become spotty, hazy, or disappear completely.

Because diabetic retinopathy often causes no symptoms even in advanced cases, it is very important to have a yearly dilated eye exam. The disease can be treated and vision loss prevented, if diagnosed early enough.

Your family eye care doctors at Seidenberg Protzko Eye Associates can tell you if you show signs of diabetic eye disease by looking at the inside of the eye with a special instrument called an ophthalmoscope.

To better see inside the eye, we may dilate (widen) your pupil with eye drops. Your eyes will be more sensitive to light for a brief time after a dilated eye exam, so bring sunglasses to your exam or have someone drive you home.