Preserve Your Vision With Hopkinton Eye Associates

Diabetic Retinopathy in Hopkinton

Preserve Your Vision With Hopkinton Eye Associates

(508) 497-9500

Have diabetes?

Experiencing changes in vision, such as blurriness and eye floaters?

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of vision loss around the world. Of an estimated 285 million people with diabetes mellitus worldwide, approximately one-third have signs of diabetic retinopathy.

Fortunately, there are several steps people with diabetes can take to prevent or minimize vision loss.

Blood sugar level check


What Is Diabetic Retinopathy?

noraml eye and an eye with diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease caused by high blood sugar levels that damage the small blood vessels clustered within your retina. This leads to swelling or fluid leakage and can result in vision loss and even blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy also raises the risk of retinal detachment and/or glaucoma.

Because the early stages of diabetic retinopathy show no symptoms, many don't realize they have it until the disease has progressed.

If you have diabetes, you are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. To reduce your risk and protect your vision, schedule an eye exam with Hopkinton Eye Associates today.


What Are the Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy?

diabetic-retinopothy-oct-scan

As mentioned above, the early phase of diabetic retinopathy typically shows no symptoms. This is why it's important to have routine eye exams (all the more so if you have diabetes), as your eye doctor can detect diabetic retinopathy in its earlier stages before symptoms become apparent.

Symptoms of proliferative diabetic retinopathy include:
  • Blurred vision
  • Floaters
  • Double vision
  • Near vision problems
  • Seeing dark spots (scotomas)
  • Difficulty seeing at night

What are the Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy?

Non-Proliferative Retinopathy (early stage):
This occurs when small bulges–or microaneurysms–form in blood vessels and can leak fluid into the retina.

Proliferative Retinopathy (later phase):
This refers to abnormal vessel growth and leakage in the retina. This triggers a variety of vision problems such as blurriness, reduced field of vision, and even blindness.

If you have diabetes, Hopkinton Eye Associates in Hopkinton offers diagnostic tests and treatment options to help preserve your vision. The earlier the diagnosis, the better the treatment outcome.

Diabetic-Retinopathy-Bllod-sugar-level-checker


How Optometrists Diagnose Diabetic Retinopathy

  • Medical history

    Your optometrist will ask about your medical history, including diabetes, as well as your family history of eye conditions.

  • Dilated pupil exam

    Your optometrist will apply eye drops to dilate the pupils so they can see inside the eye and detect any issues.

  • Fluorescein angiography

    This eye test uses a special dye and camera to look at blood flow in the retina and choroid.

  • Optical coherence tomography

    This imaging method shows a cross-section of the retina and can indicate whether vessels are leaking fluid into the retina.


How to Treat Diabetic Retinopathy

senior man with diabetic retinopathy

Treatment begins with managing blood sugar levels and diabetes. This means eating a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, and taking whatever diabetes medication has been prescribed.

Other treatments will depend on the stage or severity of the disease. If caught early, only blood sugar management may be necessary.

However, if you're in a more advanced stage of the diseases, treatment options may include:
  • Eye medications. Steroid and Anti-VEGF treatments can stop inflammation and prevent the formation of new blood vessels.
  • Laser surgery. Reduces the proliferation of abnormal blood vessels and swelling in the retina.
  • Vitrectomy. If you have proliferative diabetic retinopathy, you may need an eye surgery called vitrectomy. This procedure removes scar tissue, blood or fluid, and some of the vitreous gel so light rays can better focus on the retina.

Diabetic Retinopathy FAQs

What are the major risk factors for diabetic retinopathy?

As the name suggests, diabetes is the main risk factor for developing diabetic retinopathy. Be mindful of your family history of type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, get an annual eye exam to detect potential problems early.

Other conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol are also risk factors. Moreover, those of African or Hispanic descent have a higher risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.

Can diabetic retinopathy be prevented?

There are a number of ways to preserve your vision and reduce the risk of vision and eye damage due to diabetic retinopathy.

  • Visit your eye doctor for annual eye exams.
  • Control your blood sugar levels.
  • Maintain healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Quit smoking.

The best thing you can do right now is to schedule your eye exam with Hopkinton Eye Associates in Hopkinton to ensure that everything is in check.

Does diabetic retinopathy cause blindness?

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the main causes of blindness among work-aged adults. It affects one in three people with diabetes and often goes unnoticed at first. Diagnosing and treating the condition early on can prevent severe vision loss.

Patient Reviews
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245 Reviews
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- Oct. 30, 2024
Great doctors and staff
- Oct. 16, 2024
Pleasant office, great easy location, and professional Dr.'s, staff!
- Oct. 14, 2024
My eye exam was efficient and thorough. I love having the option of retinal photos taken instead of ... having my eyes dilated. The staff is friendly and helpful, they make it easy to bill your insurance.
- Oct. 08, 2024
Great experience all around. The Doctor explained everything clearly and the staff was friendly and ... helpful.
- Oct. 07, 2024
I highly recommend Hopkinton Eye Associates.
- Oct. 05, 2024
Helpful and knowledgeable
- Sep. 26, 2024
Friendly, full service office. Very thorough exam. Takes time to explain what they are testing and w... ill answer any questions to make sure you understand
- Sep. 11, 2024
Doctors are friendly, knowledgeable and thorough. Opticians are well versed in the products and extr... emely helpful. Front staff is friendly and accommodating. Love this place.
- Sep. 07, 2024
Dr. Ma was awesome, I highly recommend her .
- Sep. 06, 2024
Trifecta - accommodating, professional and friendly!. Dr. Straube always takes her time and explain... s any questions or concerns in both a knowledgeable and clear way. The entire staff is incredibly cheerful and friendly.
- Aug. 27, 2024
Great experience
- Jul. 26, 2024
Friendly and professional Drs and staff. Dr. Straube provided expert and compassionate care for me... when I injured my eye. She went out of her way to get me into the office and helped me get to 100% very quickly. The whole team at Hopkinton Eye Associates is awesome. Highly recommend.
- Jul. 23, 2024
Great first experience at Hopkinton Eye Associates. Everyone was super friendly, especially Dr Strau... be. I’m happy with my move and definitely recommend them!
- Jul. 23, 2024
Doctors are very personable and knowledgeable. The staff is friendly and the facility has state of ... the art imaging and testing equipment.
- Jul. 18, 2024
Service provided by Staff and Doctor was really good and satisfactory, would use them again for regu... lar checkups.
- Jul. 14, 2024
Great experience at Hopkinton Eye Associates-knowledgeable, professional staff and great office loca... tion.
- Jun. 05, 2024
They put you at ease and discuss all tests results with you, why they do the tests and what the re... sults mean and also any patterns in the tests over the years.
- May. 26, 2024
Great caring and professional eye care specialists
- May. 20, 2024
Excellent experience. Highly reccommend Michelle Straube. I did not feel rushed, she was very throug... h and created a calm environment for my already anxious 8 year old.
- Mar. 21, 2024
Hopkinton Eye Associates always makes my appointment so easy and the staff is so helpful. Dr Straube... explains everything so clearly.

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Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosis & Treatment in Hopkinton

Our optometry practice in Hopkinton

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blood sugaer level testing kit

Have diabetes?

Early detection and timely treatment can prevent vision loss.

(508) 497-9500