Category: <span>Diabetes</span>

Category: Diabetes

Diabetes, Eye Exam, Eye health

Got Diabetes? Get An Eye Exam

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Living with diabetes is a constant journey, filled with daily management, lifestyle changes, and regular check-ups. While monitoring blood sugar levels and adopting a balanced diet are integral aspects of diabetes care, one often overlooked but crucial component is a diabetic eye exam performed by an optometrist.

Understanding Diabetes-Related Eye Complications

Diabetes is a systemic disease that affects various parts of the body, including the eyes. High blood sugar levels can lead to several eye complications, collectively known as diabetic eye diseases. These conditions include diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataracts, and glaucoma. Left unchecked, these conditions can result in vision impairment and even blindness.

Diabetes Eye Exam

Why See an Dr. Yamamoto and Dr. Inouchi for Diabetic Eye Exams?

  1. Specialized Expertise: Dr. Yamamoto and Dr. Inouchi are eye care specialists trained to diagnose, manage, and treat a wide range of eye conditions. They possess the knowledge and experience required to identify diabetes-related eye complications in their early stages.
  2. Early Detection Saves Sight: Diabetic eye exams can catch eye problems before they progress to a stage where they seriously affect vision. Early detection and intervention can help preserve your eyesight and prevent irreversible damage.
  3. Tailored Care: Dr. Yamamoto and Dr. Inouchi understand the unique eye health challenges faced by individuals with diabetes. They can provide personalized guidance on managing your eye health while taking your specific diabetes management plan into account.
  4. Comprehensive Assessments: Diabetic eye exams are more than just a vision check. Optometrists perform a series of tests, including dilated eye exams, which enable them to examine the retina, blood vessels, and other critical structures of the eye. This thorough evaluation helps identify early signs of diabetic eye diseases.
  5. Coordinated Care: Our eye doctors work closely with other healthcare professionals involved in your diabetes management, ensuring a coordinated approach to your overall health and well-being. This teamwork is essential for managing diabetes effectively.

The Importance of Regularity

Consistency is key when it comes to diabetic eye exams. Diabetes is a chronic condition, and its impact on the eyes can change over time. To safeguard your vision, it’s crucial to attend these exams at regular intervals, as recommended by your eye doctor.

Never underestimate the importance of regular diabetic eye exams by a our eye doctors. These exams are not only a proactive approach to maintaining good vision but also a crucial step in preserving your overall quality of life. By catching eye complications early and managing them effectively, you can continue to enjoy the beauty of the world around you while keeping your diabetes in check.

Remember, your eyes are not just the windows to your soul; they’re also a vital part of your well-being. So, make an appointment with Dr, Yamamoto or Dr. Inouchi, and take the first step in safeguarding your precious gift of sight. Your eyes and your future self will thank you for it.

Diabetes, Eye health

November is Diabetes Awareness Month

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November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Diabetes can affect your eyes . November is a special month for millions of people around the world as it marks Diabetes Awareness Month. During this time, individuals, organizations, and healthcare professionals come together to raise awareness about diabetes, a chronic condition that affects over 400 million people globally. The goal is not only to educate the public but also to promote early detection, prevention, and support for those living with diabetes. Many people don’t know that diabetes can affect the eyes.  An annual eye exams can detect early changes to the eyes by diabetes.  Our eye doctors can help you stay healthy and seeing well with an annual eye exam.  Schedule your eye exam today.

Diabetes, Eye Exam, Eye health

November is Diabetes Awareness Month

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November is diabetes awareness month

More than 30 million Americans have diabetes and another 84 million have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). In addition, diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults. As prevalent as the condition is, 79 percent of Americans don’t know diabetic eye diseases have no visible symptoms and more than half do not know comprehensive eye examinations can detect diabetes, according to the most recent American Eye-Q® Survey conducted by the American Optometric Association (AOA).

During November’s Diabetes Awareness Month, the AOA, the leading authority in eye and vision healthcare, is committed to educating the public about the relationship between diabetes and eye health, as the annual Eye-Q survey shows that after learning about the topic many participants said they would be prompted to take steps to ensure their eye health. The AOA advocates for regular, dilated eye exams for those with diabetes, or at risk for diabetes, because the alternatives, like online vision apps, only check for refractive errors like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism and cannot detect diabetes.

Diabetes, Eye health

Technology Advancements Enhance Early Detection of Eye Diseases Associated with Diabetes

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The American Optometric Association reminds patients that yearly, comprehensive eye exams remain a critical pathway to eye and vision health

Early symptoms of diabetic eye and vision disorders are often subtle or unnoticed, but new technology, coupled with yearly, comprehensive eye exams, are improving patient outcomes and leading to earlier detection of eye diseases, including those associated with diabetes, which now affects 29 million Americans. If left untreated, these diseases can potentially lead to vision loss or even blindness.

Recently, optometric researchers have deployed a new tool that utilizes advanced optics to detect early warning signs of vision loss that can occur due to diabetes. The instrument uses small mirrors with tiny moveable segments to reflect light into the eye and was successful in finding widespread damage across the retina of patients who were previously not thought to have advanced disease.

“Diabetes is the leading cause of preventable blindness in adults, and eye doctors are continuously working to find new ways to diagnose eye and vision disorders related to this disease,” said Trennda Rittenbach, O.D., spokesperson for the American Optometric Association. “These advancements are critical in offering earlier, better care for patients with diabetes, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal vascular diseases, before an eye problem reaches an advanced stage.”

Individuals with diabetes are at a significantly higher risk for developing eye and vision disorders, including:

Diabetic retinopathy:

One of the most serious sight-threatening complications of diabetes, diabetic retinopathy causes progressive damage to the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina, the light-sensitive lining at the back of the eye. If left untreated, diabetic retinopathy may lead to blindness.

Glaucoma:

Those with diabetes are 40 percent more likely to suffer from glaucoma than people without diabetes. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases characterized by damage to the optic nerve resulting in gradual peripheral vision loss.

Cataracts:

With cataracts, the eye’s clear lens clouds, which can block light and interfere with normal vision, and individuals with diabetes are 60 percent more likely to develop cataracts.

Other new advancements are currently in development to further enhance diabetic care, including research on smart contact lenses, which could be used to help monitor blood sugar levels in patients with diabetes and possibly provide a new way to dispense medication slowly over time.

“Though these advancements in technology can assist in the detection and management of eye diseases, they are not replacements for yearly, comprehensive eye exams,” said Dr. Rittenbach. “When the eyes are dilated, an eye doctor is able to examine the optic nerve, the retina and the retinal blood vessels to assess eye health and even a person’s overall health.”

If patients, especially those with diabetes, experience any of the following symptoms, the AOA recommends contacting a doctor of optometry as soon as possible.

  • Sudden blurred or double vision
  • Trouble reading or focusing on near-work
  • Eye pain or pressure
  • A noticeable aura or dark ring around lights or illuminated objects
  • Visible dark spots in vision or images of flashing lights

The AOA also recommends individuals with diabetes take prescribed medication as directed, keep glycohemoglobin test results (“A1c” or average blood sugar level) consistently under seven percent, stick to a healthy diet that includes Omega 3s, fresh fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly, control high blood pressure and avoid alcohol and smoking.