Diabetic Eye Exams | Wasilla | The Eye Guys Alaska

Annual Diabetic Eye Exams Are Essential

If you have diabetes, you know that taking care of your overall health is very important and one very important area to consider is your eye health. Comprehensive eye exams are so important for those with diabetes as this condition can lead to certain eye diseases that can cause damage to the eye if not detected early.

We want to ensure that our patients have access to diabetic eye exams and the vision care they need. Book an appointment at our practice or see which communities in Alaska we will be visiting next.

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What Is Involved in a Diabetic Eye Exam?

A diabetic eye exam is a comprehensive eye exam that sometimes involves dilating the eye with drops to get a better look at the retina. The retina is located in the back of the eye and dilation can allow us a better look at the the blood vessels in the retina, which can become damaged due to fluctuating blood-sugar levels.

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Common Diabetic Eye Diseases

For people with diabetes, taking care of your eye health is so important as you may be more susceptible to developing certain eye conditions or diseases. However, It is estimated that 6 out of 10 Americans with type 1 or 2 diabetes don’t attend an annual diabetic eye exam. Eye diseases such as cataracts or glaucoma are more likely to develop in those who have diabetes than those without and some diseases are common and are checked for in an annual diabetic eye exam:

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that occurs when fluid escapes blood vessels in the eye, causing damage. Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy can include:

Spots in vision
Blurred vision
Difficulty seeing at night

Regular diabetic eye exams can help identify diabetic retinopathy early to prevent vision loss.

Diabetic Macular Edema

Diabetic macular edema occurs when the macula of the eye begins to swell, which can cause vision loss. Your macula is responsible for helping you see small details, like reading words on a page or deciphering street signs.

Technology in Diabetic Eye Exams

In a diabetic eye exam, we use technology to make sure we can get a good look at your eye, particularly the back of the eye. One of the tools we use is fundus photography, which is when pictures of the back of the eye are taken with a fundus camera. The fundus camera has multiple lenses to get detailed imaging of the retina, optic nerve, and macula which helps to identify eye diseases that can occur.

Diabetic Vision Care Throughout Alaska

We care for your health here in Wasilla and we travel to small communities throughout Alaska. Schedule your next diabetic eye exam here in Wasilla, or see where we’re heading next.