The American Diabetes Association now recommends basing the diagnosis of diabetes upon the hemoglobin A1C levels and not on fasting glucose tests. In addition, an A1C of less than 7.0% should be the target for glucose control. How with this impact the treatment of diabetic retinopathy? The change in recommendations stems from the fact that the A1C blood test is an easier, and faster, test … [Read more...]
American Diabetes Month: Diabetic Eye Disease, What Every Doctor Should Know (so, tell them!)
October 29, 2009 By Leave a Comment
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...]
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...]
Diabetes – A Disease of Blood Vessels, Especially in the Eye
October 13, 2009 By 2 Comments
Did you ever hear that diabetes is a disease of blood vessels? Most people think that the definition of diabetes is simply uncontrolled blood sugar, but, in reality, diabetes may be thought of as a vascular disease. Diabetes can be a very nasty disease affecting most organs in the body. Common problems caused by diabetes include peripheral neuropathy, kidney failure and diabetic … [Read more...]
Severe Loss of Vision from Diabetes is DECREASING!
October 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment
A new study released last week confirms that we are making terrific progress in saving sight! The incidence of severe vision loss in Type I diabetes has decreased significantly over the past 25 years. The rate of severe vision loss dropped from 1.19% in 1980-82 to 0.30% in 2005-07. Incidence: an individual's chances of developing a medical problem (e.g. severe vision loss) over a time … [Read more...]
When Shouldn’t Patients with Diabetes Get Glasses?
September 12, 2009 By 1 Comment
Patients with diabetes need to be careful when getting new glasses. Patients with diabetes should NOT get glasses when their blood sugar is abnormally high or low. Believe it or not, several times a year, I will see a patient that is referred for unexplained decrease in vision, OR, I will have a patient that keeps getting the "wrong" glasses. The patient goes in for an exam, doctor writes … [Read more...]
Successful Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy
September 3, 2009 By 1 Comment
I have a patient, BG, with diabetes mellitus. BG has had diabetes for over 45 years. She is 60 years old. I saw her yesterday and will not see her for another 6 months. She has had a long course with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Her vision is 20/25 in both eyes. BG has had multiple laser treatments and vitrectomy surgery. I want to share her success. I want to highlight … [Read more...]
Diabetic Retinopathy Continues to Rise
June 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Patients with diabetes need to be examined at least annually. The reason is to be on the look out for the development of diabetic retinopathy. That's the disease that diabetes causes in the eye; it affects the retina. Diabetic retinopathy can cause anything from blurry vision to blindness depending on the severity of the disease. Researchers compared the prevalence of the disease in … [Read more...]
