Focus on Eye Care During November or Diabetes Awareness Month

Diabetes is becoming more and more prevalent in our country. Today, over 21 million Americans have Diabetes and it is estimated that one third of this population do not even know they have the condition. During the month of November, I am proud to spotlight the importance of frequent eye exams for individuals with Diabetes and those at risk for this disease.

Dilated eye exams at appropriate intervals are extremely important for individuals with Diabetes and those at risk for this disease due to the possibility of substantial vision loss with long term uncontrolled Diabetic eye disease. In these cases of advanced diabetic retinopathy, an individual may have irreversible vision loss or even total blindness as a result.  Beginning symptoms of diabetic retinopathy can present as what may seem like routine blurry vision or fluctuating vision and this is the reason yearly eye exams are so important as early as possible to prevent vision loss.

To avoid these complications to your eyes make sure to include your eye doctor in your team of healthcare professionals and to visit him/her regularly just as you would with your primary care physician and dentist. As a part of your diabetes management team, your eye doctor can often be your first line of detection for diabetes due to the findings of your annual dilated eye exam. Your eye doctor may also utilize advanced High Definition retinal photography in order to document the presence and progression of any diabetic changes to your eyes during each eye exam.

At my practice we are helping to contribute to a healthier patient population by meeting three specific objectives set by the American Optometric Association and their National Diabetes Month Campaign. These three vision objectives of the Healthy People 2010 campaign are: to increase the proportion of persons who have a dilated eye examination at appropriate intervals, reduce visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy, and to increase vision rehabilitation.  If you are an individual with or at risk for diabetes please make sure to get a comprehensive eye examination each and every year.