Many people wait until they have a problem before seeing an eye doctor. Most people don't realize how important it is to get regular eye exams. During a standard comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor will perform multiple tests. Besides checking for vision correction, our team at Optics Soho in Tampa also looks for signs of serious health problems. Your annual eye exam might be the first place you learn that you are showing early signs of high blood pressure or diabetes. If you already know that you have diabetes, you should be aware of how important it is to monitor how the disease affects your vision.

Diabetic Eye Care Patients

Diabetes can cause many different kinds of problems with your vision. Anyone with Type I diabetes, Type II diabetes, or gestational diabetes should be aware that the condition could negatively affect their eye health. Other risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. If possible, you should try to minimize these factors. Another risk factor out of your control is race or ethnicity. African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans are at higher risk of developing serious eye diseases.

The kinds of eye conditions you should look out for if you are diabetic include:

•   Diabetic retinopathy
•   Macular edema
•   Cataracts
•   Glaucoma

Early detection and treatment can be key to dealing with these conditions.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy can cause vision loss or even blindness. Even though the condition is dangerous, you may not have any symptoms in the early stages. Some patients report vision changes, but those changes come and go. Many patients do not realize they have a problem. Diabetic retinopathy affects the blood vessels in the retina. In the later stages of the disease, those blood vessels might start bleeding into the liquid part of the eye. If this happens to you, you will see spots or streaks in your vision. If left untreated, scars will form on the back of your eyes.

Diabetic retinopathy can lead to other conditions:

•   Diabetic macular edema is a condition where the blood vessels in the retina leak into another part of the macula, causing blurry vision.
•   Neovascular glaucoma is a special kind of glaucoma that can cause vision loss.
•   If there are too many scars, you may experience retinal detachment.

Regular exams can help you deal with these problems before they become worse.

Contact Our Optometrists in Tampa, FL

Are you looking for an eye doctor near you? It helps to have a relationship with your optometrist so you can get a reminder to go back when it is time for an exam. At Optics Soho, we take great pride in helping families maintain their best vision care. Call today for an appointment.