Diabetic Eye Exams

The two most common types of glaucoma are open-angle and angle-closure glaucoma. For patients with diabetes, the chances of developing open-angle glaucoma are almost doubled.

Open-angle glaucoma occurs when the drainage canal responsible for circulating fluids out of your eye begins to become blocked or clogged while the angle between the iris and cornea is still open enough to allow some drainage. This slowly causes pressure to build up inside the eye, gradually damaging the optic nerve.

Cataracts are a relatively common condition that many of us will develop as we grow older, but the chances of developing this condition doubles in patients with diabetes. Cataracts cause the lenses in your eyes to cloud over. Over time, they become thicker, less flexible, and less transparent.

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that can occur when diabetes isn’t managed correctly. Because of the higher sugar levels in your blood, the tiny vessels behind the retina become blocked, prompting your body to grow new ones to make up for the lost blood supply. However, these new vessels are fragile and often leak fluids into the retina.

This leak manifests itself in many ways. Some symptoms you might experience include seeing dark spots or strings floating in your vision (also known as floaters). It can also cause your vision to become blurred, or you might even experience permanent vision loss. If you experience any of these symptoms, contact us immediately or visit your nearest emergency room.