DIABETES

DIABETES

Diabetes mellitus causes high blood sugar – the first signs are often producing more urine (so you need to go the loo more often) and feeling more thirsty than normal – and if this is not controlled with diet, tablets or injections, it can eventually lead to damage of the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (diabetic retinopathy) by blood leaking from the blood vessels.
 
For you as a patient, there are often no early warning signs to look out for but some people get blurry vision that comes & goes through the day and may be worse when trying to focus on distant objects. The first signs are usually a temporary increase in the number of “floaters” (darker spots & shapes that move in front of your vision, that we all see when we stare at a white surface) but a few days or weeks later there is often a larger bleed which can completely obscure your vision. Anyone who has had diabetes for a decade or more is likely to suffer from retinopathy. The good news is that, with early detection, many new cases can be helped with prompt treatment.

The damage to the retina can be detected by optometrists well before it actually causes permanent loss of vision. Our optometrists can give a fast track referral to the ophthalmologist at the local hospital, which will mean you get to see the right specialist and get the treatment you need much more quickly.
  
If you have diabetes, we have all the latest equipment to monitor your eyes, please click on the words below to see how we use them
  • Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
  • Pupil Dilation
  • Slit Lamp
  • Binocular Indirect Ophthalmoscopy
  • Digital Fundus Photography
People with diabetes must have their eyes checked every year and are entitled to free NHS eye tests. In addition to this, you will be included in the NHS screening programmes at local hospitals or at our practice. You can also get more information on these screening programmes and diabetes from the NHS Choices website or the links below…


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