Now offering the new procedure ‘FORTIFIED LASIK.', the safest and most advanced LASIK procedure available!
Skip to main content

Preventing Vision Loss From Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetes is a complex threat to your health on many fronts. Elevated blood sugar levels have the potential to damage organs and tissues throughout your body. 

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication that damages blood vessels around the retina, or the image-forming tissue at the rear of the eyeball. While it takes time for noticeable symptoms to emerge, diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness without treatment. 

At Advanced Lasik in the Midtown East section of New York City and Long Beach, California, Dr. Randa Garrana and our team provide the care you need when retinopathy begins to interfere with your vision. Let’s take a closer look at the condition, how it progresses, and how you can prevent vision loss. 

How diabetic retinopathy forms

High levels of blood sugar, characteristic of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, damages body tissue from within, and its effects on the blood vessels that supply the retina are responsible for the symptoms of retinopathy. 

Existing blood vessels become blocked, sometimes forcing your body to create new tissue to maintain the blood supply to the retina. Often, these new blood vessels fail to form fully, causing blood leakage within your eye. 

However, the most common form of diabetic retinopathy is nonproliferative, meaning that new blood vessels aren’t yet growing. Instead, the existing vessels in your retina weaken and cause blood leakage that becomes more severe as time goes on. 

Advanced diabetic neuropathy starts when abnormal, new blood vessels form. These weak vessels create scar tissue that pushes the retina away from the back surface of your eye, a condition known as detachment. Optic nerve damage is another potential complication. 

Preventing vision loss from diabetic retinopathy

As the most common form of diabetic eye disease, diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in Americans between the ages of 20 and 74. Part of the problem is that there are no signs or symptoms of the condition in its early stages. 

If you’re living with diabetes, these steps can lower your risk of retinopathy-related vision loss:

Control your blood sugar

Since anyone with unmanaged diabetes can develop retinopathy, it’s crucial to control your blood sugar levels. This may require a diabetes management plan that includes blood sugar monitoring, medication, lifestyle changes, and regular medical visits. 

Every patient has their own ideal plan, so work with your primary care physician or internal medicine practitioner to develop a solution that keeps your A1C blood glucose level within a healthy range. This prevents any further damage to eye tissue based on blood sugar. 

Add an ophthalmologist to your diabetes support team

Annual comprehensive dilated eye exams reveal diabetic retinopathy in its early stages. Eye exams with Dr. Garrana help you to discover any changes before you suffer vision damage. Add Advanced Lasik to your diabetes support team. 

Quit smoking

Nicotine has a negative effect on blood flow and blood vessel walls. Added to the challenges of high blood sugar, smoking and the use of other products containing nicotine may accelerate the deterioration of your eyes. 

Achieve and maintain a healthy weight

Extra pounds also place a burden on your circulatory system. Even modest amounts of weight loss improve conditions within your body, including vascular health. 

Boost activity levels

Adding moderate levels of low-impact physical activity — including biking, swimming, and walking, stimulates aerobic activity — is another way to improve cardiac and vascular health, a key factor in limiting the damage that diabetic retinopathy can cause. 

If you’re overdue for a comprehensive eye exam, call or click online to request an appointment at Advanced Lasik in Midtown East, New York City, or Long Beach, California, today. 

You Might Also Enjoy...

ReLEx vs. LASEK: Is There a Difference?

ReLEx vs. LASEK: Is There a Difference?

Since the introduction of laser refractive surgery for vision correction, many improvements and refinements have entered the mainstream. ReLEx SMILE and LASEK built on the successes of earlier procedures. Let’s consider how the two compare.

Are Cataracts Inevitable with Increasing Age?

The most common type of cataract forms because of changes related to aging. While every patient has their own contributing factors, virtually everyone will develop cataracts if they live long enough. Learn more here.
5 Popular Benefits of Implantable Contact Lenses

5 Popular Benefits of Implantable Contact Lenses

The options for permanent vision correction have never been greater. Here, we explore some compelling benefits of implantable contact lenses (ICL) that make it the best choice for many people who are looking to correct refractive errors. 
What to Expect During ReLEx Smile Surgery

What to Expect During ReLEx SMILE Surgery

Patients with visual impairments, including astigmatism and nearsightedness, now have a laser surgery option that requires little downtime — ReLEx SMILE, the most patient-friendly laser vision correction procedure available. Learn more here.

All About PRK Eye Surgery: An Alternative to LASIK

While LASIK enjoys an almost generic status describing laser eye surgery to correct refractive defects, it’s actually one of many surgical approaches. Learn more about another technique, photorefractive keratectomy — or PRK eye surgery — here.

What to Expect After Cataract Surgery

As with many procedures, the recovery period after cataract surgery is an important part of the process. Knowing what to expect can help you prepare for the changes you’ll undergo as your eye heals.