November is Diabetes Awareness Month and health advocates are marking the occasion by spotlighting risk factors for the metabolic disorder, health problems associated with it, and how to combat them.

If you have diabetes, you are at higher risk of developing eye disease. The good news is that there is much you can do to preserve your vision and reduce your risk of eye disease.

You should plan to make regular eye doctor visits when you have diabetes. High blood sugar can lead to problems like blurry vision, cataracts, glaucoma, and retinopathy. In fact, diabetes is the primary cause of blindness in adults ages 20 to 74.  However, careful monitoring and regular eye exams, can help you avoid vision loss.

The best way to monitor diabetic changes is with the Optomap, a digital retinal imaging device that is far superior to the older techniques.

The Optomap can detect diabetic damage before the patient knows they have it, so to avoid vision loss, it is imperative to have at least yearly eye doctor visits, even if there is no change in vision.

If you have diabetes and it’s been a year since your last exam, please call your eye care professional for a dilated and Optomap exam.

For more information on the Optomap, please go to our web site at eyegotcha.net and click on the “Optos” tab at the top of the home page.

Optos scan