November, 2009, is American Diabetes Month. In my effort to support American Diabetes Month, there are a few things that every doctor should know about diabetic eye disease. The list is short and very direct. Please share this with others; especially your doctors. I have been in practice since 1993. As a retina specialist, I take care of patients with diabetic retinopathy. There was a … [Read more...]
American Diabetes Month: Diabetic Eye Disease, What Every Doctor Should Know (so, tell them!)
October 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Visual Acuity – How We Measure Your Vision
October 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Image via Wikipedia When you go to your eye doctor, we check your "vision," but there are several ways to actually monitor or evaluate your vision. Basically, almost all vision testing is designed to measure the function of your macula. Macular vision is your central vision. It is our most useful vision. When we are 20/20, we are testing central vision only. "The Eye Chart" measures … [Read more...]
The American Academy of Ophthalmology: Watch Out! Too Much Information!
October 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The largest ophthalmology meeting in the world is in San Francisco this week. The American Academy of Ophthalmolgy started over the weekend. It is our industry's largest "trade" show. Doctors attend to learn about new products, instruments, companies, go to classes and see old friends. Tens of thousands of people are in San Francisco.Of significance is the number of people … [Read more...]
The “O” in Eye Doctor
October 22, 2009 By 2 Comments
Every wonder how many kinds of eye doctors there are? It can be somewhat confusing as there are 2 professions, starting with the letter "O," who are referred to as "eye doctor." An eye doctor is usually an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. (There are also ocularists and opticians. Ocularists work and fit prostheses. Opticians prepare and dispense eyeglasses.) What is the difference … [Read more...]
Routine Examination Schedule for Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Degeneration
October 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
What is routine? In this case, routine should be the usual and regular times that you see your eye doctor when there are no perceived problems. For instance, the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Optometric Association recommend that all patients with diabetes be examined no less than once a year. How often you actually go for an eye exam is determined by your own personal … [Read more...]
Are Dilating Drops Always Necessary?
October 16, 2009 By 29 Comments
Well, yes. It is always necessary to dilate the pupil for a thorough exam of the retina. A dilated pupillary exam is part of a thorough examination of the eye. Without dilation, it is near impossible to see any structures of the retina through the tiny, 2-3 mm, undilated pupil. All my patients need to be dilated because I am a retinal specialist. Most of my patients have macular … [Read more...]
Addendum to “The Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy”
October 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Below is an addendum to yesterday's post. I omitted a "comment" about the 4 stages of diabetic retinopathy. I highlighted the change and pasted in the original post. Sorry. Comments: a) Macular edema can be present in any 4 of the stages. It is usually treated with laser treatment, but steroids or anti-VEGF medications may be useful, too. Macular edema, also called diabetic … [Read more...]
Diabetic Retinopathy: Have You Lost Vision from Diabetic Retinopathy?
October 15, 2009 By 2 Comments
There are 4 stages of diabetic retinopathy. Each stage is based upon the appearance of the retinas at the time of examination and are not based upon a patient's symptoms, including vision. Many people with early diabetic retinopathy have no symptoms. Therefore, regardless of whether you are experiencing symptoms, it is imperative that if you have diabetes you schedule regular eye exams. If … [Read more...]
Diabetes Unlikely to Cause Blindness
October 14, 2009 By 9 Comments
Today's post is about one of my own observations from over 15 years in practice. While it is a fact that significant vision loss from diabetes is declining, it is not widely known that there is also a very finite time where patients with diabetes can go blind, there is only a finite time while the risk of blindness is highest. In short, the chance of a diabetic patient going blind these days … [Read more...]
