Diabetic Eye Exams in Guelph

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss in people of working age. In Canada, the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is approximately 25% in Canada. This disease develops as glucose damages the blood vessels of the retina.

When these vessels are damaged, the retina may attempt to compensate by growing new blood vessels. However, these blood vessels are often very fragile and frequently leak blood into the retina, causing permanent damage to your vision.

Diabetic macular edema (DME) results from fluid build-up caused by diabetic retinopathy. As the blood and fluid leak from the new irregular vessels, they may accumulate in your macula causing it to swell, slowly damaging your central vision.

Cataracts are a widespread eye condition that develop as you age. As you grow older, the lenses in your eyes become less flexible, denser, and less transparent. Over time, these changes can affect the quality of your vision. Your chances of developing cataracts increase when you have diabetes.

While vision loss caused by cataracts can be corrected using glasses or contact lenses, the only way to treat cataracts is through cataract surgery.

Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma. When you have diabetes, your chances of developing it almost doubles. With open-angle glaucoma, the drainage angle between your iris and cornea remains open, but fluid (aqueous humour) isn’t draining at an adequate pace to maintain healthy intraocular pressure (IOP) levels.

As the IOP rises, it could damage your optic nerve, leading to permanent vision loss. There is no cure for glaucoma, but management with eye drops or surgery can help slow its rate of progression, possibly preserving your vision.