Diabetes is mainly treatable but does have some effects on your lifestyle. One of these effects is that the blood vessels in your eyes can become damaged more easily.

Early detection of this is crucial, and eye exams are the best way to ensure that it is caught and treated properly.

The professional team at Stam & Associates Eye Care in Jacksonville, FL, is proud to serve the local community with quality eye care services, including diabetic vision care management. These services allow you to return to seeing clearly and living life to the fullest while also achieving great peace of mind about your healthcare.

How Often Should You See Your Eye Doctor?

The frequency of your eye exams will depend on the severity of your diabetes and your overall eye health. However, the American Diabetes Association recommends that people with diabetes have an annual dilated eye exam.

What to Expect During a Diabetic Eye Exam

Your eye doctor will perform a comprehensive eye exam, which may include:

• Dilated eye exam: This allows your doctor to examine the inside of your eye.
• Fluorescein angiography: This test uses a dye to visualize the blood vessels in your retina.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT): This test uses light to create detailed images of your retina.

In addition to regular eye exams, controlling blood sugar levels is essential for preventing diabetic retinopathy. Smoking can also damage your blood vessels and increase your risk of eye problems.

Remember to eat a healthy diet to help you manage your blood sugar levels and overall health.

Your Trusted Vision Care Provider

Blurred vision, floaters, and dark spots in your vision are some examples of common symptoms of diabetic retinopathy. Even if you do not feel these symptoms strongly, a regular eye exam can prevent a potential problem early on from developing into something more severe and costly.

We look forward to welcoming you into our clinic to help you achieve your eyesight goals.

During your next appointment with the fantastic team at Stam & Associates Eye Care in Jacksonville, FL, you can be sure you receive the best care and guidance you and your family deserve.

It’s long been known that diabetes has repercussions throughout the body. The eyes are one of the most common organs that are affected, often resulting in a condition known as diabetic eye disease. Diabetic eye disease must be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. Otherwise, serious ramifications can develop, including vision impairment or even blindness. Learn the symptoms of diabetic eye disease so you can discuss them with youroptometrist in Jacksonville, FL.

1. Blurred or Distorted Vision

Blurry or distorted vision can be a symptom of other eye disorders, but it’s also one way that diabetes changes the eye’s lens, inhibiting its ability to focus as intended.

2. Rapid Changes in Vision

An odd symptom of diabetic eye disease is fluctuating vision, where eyesight is fine but punctuated with blurry vision. This is due to changing fluid levels in the eyes, which happens when blood sugar levels rapidly rise and fall.

3. Floaters or Dark Spots

An increase in floaters, or the density of floaters, is a common symptom of diabetic eye disease. These may be accompanied by dark spots or “blind spots” in the field of vision. They’re caused by leaking blood vessels into the eye’s vitreous gel.

4. Difficulty Seeing in Low Light

Low vision, as it is called, is often a symptom of diabetic eye disease. The retina loses its ability to adjust to low light conditions, causing a person to take longer to adjust to changing luminosity or making it harder to see in low light.

If you or a loved one are experiencing these symptoms, seektreatment for diabetic eye disease in Jacksonville, FL. The first step to treatment involves getting a diabetic eye evaluation. Contact us to book your appointment today.