Diabetic Eye Care in Urbandale, IA
Diabetes can affect your eyes before you notice changes in your vision. Regular diabetic eye exams help us monitor the health of your retina, identify changes early, and keep you informed about your eye health.
At Lumen Eye, we provide ongoing diabetic eye care for patients in Urbandale and the greater Des Moines area.
Why Diabetics Need Frequent Eye Exams
You can have signs of diabetic eye disease and still see clearly. That makes regular eye exams an important part of managing your health after a diabetes diagnosis.
Diabetic eye exams allow us to:
- Examine the blood vessels in your retina
- Look for signs of diabetic retinopathy
- Monitor changes from one visit to the next
- Identify when closer monitoring may be needed
- Coordinate care with your medical team when appropriate
If you have diabetes, following the eye exam schedule recommended by your eye doctors can help detect changes that might otherwise go unnoticed.
How Does Diabetes Impact Eye Health?
High blood sugar can damage the small blood vessels throughout your body, including those that nourish your retina.
Over time, these vessels may:
- Swell or weaken
- Leak blood or fluid
- Close and reduce blood supply to parts of the retina
- Lead to the growth of abnormal new blood vessels
These changes can lead to diabetic retinopathy, one of the main eye health concerns associated with diabetes.
Blood sugar changes can also cause temporary fluctuations in vision. This is one reason a diabetic eye exam considers much more than whether your prescription has changed.
What Are the Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy can progress over time, sometimes without obvious symptoms.
Nonproliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
This is the earlier stage. Small retinal blood vessels may weaken, swell, or leak. Changes can range from mild to more advanced, even while your vision still seems normal.
Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
At this more advanced stage, abnormal new blood vessels can grow in the retina. Because these vessels are fragile, they may bleed and contribute to serious vision problems.
Diabetic Macular Edema
Diabetes can also cause fluid to collect in the macula, the part of your retina responsible for detailed central vision. Diabetic macular edema can occur at different stages of diabetic retinopathy.
The key point: clear vision does not always mean diabetic eye disease is absent. Regular monitoring lets us see what is happening inside your eyes.
What Happens During a Diabetic Eye Exam?
Your diabetic eye exam focuses closely on the structures that can be affected by diabetes.
Depending on your needs, your visit may include:
- A review of your vision, health, and medications
- Vision and prescription testing
- Examination of the retina and optic nerve
- Detailed retinal imaging when appropriate
- Comparison with previous findings to monitor changes
Lumen Eye uses diagnostic technology including Optomap imaging and OCT scanning to help document and monitor eye health.
Most importantly, we explain what we see. If something requires further attention, we can discuss your next steps and coordinate with your primary care provider or another medical professional when appropriate.
Prediabetes and Eye Exams: Why Pay Attention Now?
Prediabetes means your blood sugar is higher than normal, even though it has not reached the level used to diagnose diabetes.
Because the retina gives eye doctors a direct view of blood vessels inside the body, an eye exam may sometimes reveal vascular changes that deserve further medical investigation.
An eye exam cannot diagnose diabetes. However, unusual findings may give us a reason to recommend talking with your primary care provider about your overall health or blood sugar testing.
Keep a Closer Eye on Diabetes
Managing diabetes involves more than watching your blood sugar. Your retinal health deserves regular attention, too.If you have diabetes or prediabetes, Lumen Eye can help monitor your eyes, explain changes clearly, and coordinate care when needed.Book a diabetic eye exam with our Urbandale eye doctors.