Diabetic Eye Care & Retinopathy

From getting a black eye on the playground to accidental mascara mishaps, our eyes undergo numerous trials throughout life. Everyone’s eyes are precious and we should do our best to protect them. This is especially true for those with diabetes.

Diabetic eye care requires a little more attention than normal. Unfortunately, diabetes comes with a handful of additional health risks, including diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. Normal retinopathy occurs when the retina (image right) receives insufficient amounts of blood and oxygen flow. High blood sugar levels found in diabetics can permanently damage retinal veins, causing a loss of blood flow to the retina. This is how diabetic retinopathy develops. As the disease progresses, diabetic retinopathy can cause many problems, including minor blood and plasma leakage into the retina and complete blindness. Due to such risk, folks with diabetes should visit their eye care specialist regularly to ensure retinal function remains normal. As with many other ocular and retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy can develop silently. Many do not know they have the disease until having undergone a thorough eye exam. To maximize diabetic eye care education, here are a few other facts about diabetic retinopathy:

• Typically, it affects both eyes
• Is a major cause of blindness in adult Americans
• Occurs in roughly 40% of Type I diabetics and 20% of Type II diabetics
• The longer someone has diabetes, the higher the risk for the disease

If you or someone you love is a diabetic, ensure blood sugar levels are kept under close watch and regulated as much as possible. This significantly reduces the risk for developing the disease. In addition, it is essential for these individuals to see their diabetic eye care specialist very regularly. With advanced technology such as the VISUCAM (image left), an eye care doctor can capture superior photos of your retinas. Such advancements help specialists maximize care for your eyes via the ability to better diagnose and monitor early diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and other ocular diseases.  

Not All LASIK Procedures Are Equally Suitable for Patients

A lot of people out there don't know there are several kinds of LASIK eye surgery. While everyone isn't suited for a laser vision correction procedure, some folks' vision conditions may be ideal for one procedure over another. The main three types of LASIK are blade-free OptiLASIK, no-flap PRK LASIK and Monovision (sometimes called Lens Replacement). With the most advanced laser technology available, folks searching for clearer vision have extremely safe resources via top notch eye care specialists and surgeons.

OptiLASIK, a fully blade free form of laser vision correction, suits many patients whose corneal structure is strong enough to undergo flap creation. Created with a laser, the corneal flap exposes the cornea, supplying your eye surgeon with ability to painlessly and efficiently reshape it. Blade-free LASIK procedures eliminate complication risks tied to traditional LASIK and maximize patient comfort.     

PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) expands the availability of LASIK eye surgery to those whose eyes cannot handle the traditional flap LASIK procedure. This may be due to several factors, such as: 

•  Unstable corneal thickness 
•  Corneal scar tissue
•  Substantial risk for long-term or chronic eye dryness
•  General corneal structure issues 

PRK LASIK requires state-of-the-art technology such as the Allegretto Eye-Q Laser. The corneal cover is removed and allowed to heal for several days. Then, the Allegretto machine reshapes the cornea to complete the procedure.

Monovision, or Lens Replacement Surgery, uses Wavelight technology to refocus your eyes. This option is great for approved patients looking to correct near and/or distance vision issues. Many times, eye care specialists recommend a "test drive" in which temporary contacts are used for two weeks to ensure the patient's brain properly adjusts to the visual changes. If this test drive is successful, lens replacement will set your non-dominant eye to be focused for near vision while your dominant eye is refocused for distance vision. In many cases, monovision rarely applies to folks outside of the cataract-affected community.