Focus on Eye Care During National 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 objective 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.    

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.    

Edwards Eye Care Utilizes Advanced Retinal Imaging Technology

When starting our practice, Edwards Eye Care in Hickory Flat, we knew that it would be important to go above and beyond to give our patients the best eye care experience possible. To this end, we sought out some of the latest technology available to deliver superior patient care, such as the optomap retinal imaging technology. Now residents of Cherokee and North Fulton have access to fast, non-invasive, painless and comfortable technology that gives a broad view of the back of the eye; something no other device is capable of doing. The images provide our eye care team with information on numerous diseases that affect not only a patient’s eyes and sight but his or her overall health including cancer, hypertension, retinal detachment, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy; which is the leading cause of blindness. Preventative eye care has never been more critical than it is today, because regular eye screenings play a vital role in preventing loss of sight and detecting systemic disease. A comprehensive eye exam, including an optomap retinal imaging test, can aid in the early-diagnosis of potential problems for people of all ages, including young children. Eyes have been referred to as the ‘window’ to a patient’s overall health and can reveal conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. At Edwards Eye Care we are committed to improving the health of our patients, encouraging regular eye exams and making the eye examination process a pleasant experience. By offering our patients advanced retinal imaging technology like the optomap, we can meet those objectives and potentially drive patients to earlier diagnoses and improved overall patient health. The optomap retinal imaging test, is a patient friendly, quick and comfortable exam which captures and analyzes an image of virtually the entire retina in a quarter of a second. It takes only minutes to perform and allows the patient to view their retinal image with the doctor during the exam while also providing an annual permanent record for comparisons, tracking and diagnosing potential issues. The optomap retinal imaging technology has received worldwide recognition as an important eye care diagnostic instrument and was also recently featured on “The Doctors” program. For more information on how to take advantage of the opportunity to have optomap retinal imaging at your next comprehensive eye exam please call Edwards Eye Care at 770-479-0222 or request an appointment online at www.EdwardsEyeCare.com.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month!

Diabetes is becoming more and more prevalent in our country. Today, 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. To avoid these complications to your eyes make sure to include your eye doctor in your team of healthcare professionals and to visit us regularly just as you would with your primary care physician and dentist. As your eye care team we can often be your first line of detection for diabetes due to the findings of your annual dilated eye exam. The photos above show retinal photos taken during a comprehensive eye exam, the top image show a normal healthy retina while the bottom image displays the damage that can be done by advanced diabetic eye disease. 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.