Published:
February 1, 2022
If you have diabetes, do you get your eyes checked regularly for diabetic retinopathy? The goal of this routine screening is early detection--the best way to reduce the chances the condition will lead to vision loss.
Vision Threats
It is estimated 40 percent of people with diabetes over age 40 will develop diabetic retinopathy. Twenty percent of those people will experience threats to their vision. You are at increased risk the longer you’ve had diabetes and the higher your A1C levels—a measure of your glucose control.
Diabetic retinopathy is not the only threat to your vision if you have diabetes. You are also at higher risk for cataracts, which clouds the lens of your eye, and macular degeneration, which destroys your sharp, central vision. Early detection and treatment of these conditions can preserve vision.
Guidelines to Follow
When you are first diagnosed with diabetes, you should be screened for retinopathy at that time. After that you can be screened every one to two years.
Why Is Diabetic Retinopathy Dangerous?
Your retina, the layer of tissue at the back of the inner eye, changes light and images into nerve signals that are sent to the brain. Diabetes can damage the blood vessels of the retina and lead to impaired vision or blindness. Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Because the condition often has no symptoms until there is bleeding in the eye, it’s hoped that routine screening will reduce the incidence of vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy progresses in an orderly way from one phase to another. Detecting problems early in each phase followed by the proper treatment can help to preserve your vision.
How Is Diabetic Retinopathy Detected?
The most common technique for your annual eye exam is for your doctor to dilate your pupils with eye drops and look at your retina using a lighted instrument called an ophthalmoscope. Newer techniques that offer improved accuracy and sensitivity are becoming more widely available and the standard of care for detecting vision-threatening problems.
For patients who wish, retinol images can be taken at Lancaster General Health Physicians primary care locations and then reviewed for signs of retinopathy.
Choose Your Provider Carefully
Examinations should be performed by health care professionals who are knowledgeable and experienced in the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy—either an ophthalmologist or a physician specializing in diseases of the eye. Treatment of diabetic retinopathy should always be performed by an ophthalmologist.
New Technology Improving Outlook
The growing use of new models of screening utilizing TeleRetina—detecting diabetic retinopathy from digital retinal images—is dramatically improving access to care, allowing more people with diabetes to continue to enjoy good vision throughout their lives.
Watch this video to learn about the TeleRetina program at Lancaster General Health Physicians primary care practices.