Cataract Surgery with Diabetes in Fall River

If you suffer from diabetes, develop a cataract and need cataract surgery in Fall River you will be in good hands at Center for Sight. According to Retina Specialist & Cataract Surgeon Robert Kelly, M.D., “Diabetes is a known risk factor for developing cataracts. Fortunately, cataract surgery can be successfully performed for patients with diabetes and even for diabetic patients at risk for or who have developed diabetic retinopathy-a serious threat to vision and a leading cause of new blindness.”

Researchers believe that the abnormal carbohydrate and sugar metabolism that is the hallmark of diabetes causes the sugars and metabolic byproducts to damage the crystalline lens of the eye and form a cataract. “It is not uncommon for diabetic patients to need cataract surgery-often at an earlier age than others who are not diabetic. While diabetes is known to cause difficulty with wound healing, the type of cataract surgery we perform today using a tiny incision, no stitches and with eye drops for anesthesia, really poses no additional risk to diabetic patients compared to non diabetic patients, “shared Dr. Kelly.

Dr. Kelly further stressed, “It is important that diabetics considering cataract surgery have a careful evaluation of the retina-especially the macula-using ocular coherence tomography (OCT) to identify the presence of diabetic macular edema (DME), a known finding in diabetic retinopathy that can cause less then optimal results after cataract surgery.” In addition, in certain situations cataract surgeons may elect to take an added precaution of placing an injection of VEGF inhibitor such as Eyelea® or Lucentis® into the vitreous of the eye to prevent new blood vessel growth. Other than these considerations diabetic cataract surgery can offer patients good results. Early diagnosis and treatment is the key to preserving eye health and vision with diabetes. See your eye doctor regularly as he or she requests.

If you or someone you know has questions about diabetes and cataract surgery please feel free to call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visiting www.center-for-sight.com or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an appointment.

Center for Sight is conveniently located at 1565 North Main Street, Suite 406, Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 for patients from Massachusetts or Rhode Island. 

Eye Exams in Fall River for Diabetic Retinopathy

Center for Sight Retina Specialist Robert Kelly, M.D. advised patients with diabetes to have regular eye exams to help preserve eye health and vision. “Regular eye exams are the best way to help prevent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy,” said Fall River Retina Specialist Robert Kelly, M.D. “The eye examinations for diabetic retinopathy need to be thorough and when necessary include advanced testing such as retinal photography, fluorescein angiography and ocular coherence tomography, or OCT in order to really document how the retina and it’s blood vessels are functioning,” Dr. Kelly further explained. “Depending on the severity and the risk of progression of each patient’s diabetic retinopathy we will advise them of the frequency and intervals for their exams. But, patients with diabetes need to know that it is terribly important to keep their appointments.”

Vision loss from diabetes and especially catastrophic vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented with early detection, diagnosis and treatment. If you or someone you know has diabetes or even elevated blood sugar levels they should work to prevent diabetic eye disease and problems with regular eye exams by calling Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visiting www.center-for-sight.com or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an appointment.

Center for Sight is conveniently located at 1565 North Main Street, Suite 406, Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 for patients from Massachusetts or Rhode Island. 

Diabetes and Your Eyes

Diabetes can have a significant effect on your eyes and vision. Diabetes is a disease that affects the body’s ability to produce or use insulin effectively to control blood sugar levels. Although glucose is an important source of energy for the body’s cells, too much glucose in the blood for a long time can cause damage in many parts of the body, including the heart, kidneys, blood vessels and the small blood vessels in the eyes. When the blood vessels in the retina swell, leak or close off completely, or if abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina, it results in diabetic retinopathy. Those people who are at greater risk of developing diabetic retinopathy are those with poor blood sugar control, women who are pregnant and people with high blood pressure, high blood lipids or both. Also, people who are from certain ethnic groups, such as African-Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans, are more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes can cause vision in your eyes to change even if you do not have retinopathy. If your blood sugar levels change quickly, it can affect the shape of your eye’s crystalline lens, causing blurry vision, which goes back to normal after your blood sugar stabilizes. Maintaining good control of your blood sugar helps reduce episodes of blurry vision.

If you or someone you know has diabetes or even high blood sugar, especially if there is a family history of diabetes-you should have regular eye exams to help protect your eye health and vision. Please feel free to call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visit www.center-for-sight.com or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an appointment.

Center for Sight is conveniently located at 1565 North Main Street, Suite 406, Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 for patients from Massachusetts or Rhode Island. 

Fall River Retina Specialist on Diabetic Eye Disease & Problems

Robert Kelly, M.D. a Retina Specialist in Fall River, Massachusetts at Center for Sight commented on diabetic eye disease and diabetic eye problems as Prevent Blindness America has designated November as National Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month.

“What we know from the most recent Prevent Blindness America Vision Problems in the U.S. report is that diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74 years of age. According to the Centers for Disease Control, diabetes affects 25.8 million people in the United States. Although there is no cure for diabetic eye disease, annual eye exams for diabetes patients are essential to help slow the progression of the disease,” said Dr. Kelly.

The Prevent Blindness America Vision Problems in the U.S. identified that there are almost 8 million people ages 40 and older who have diabetic retinopathy. This represents an 89 percent increase between the years 2000-2012. “While it is not surprising that the incidence of some eye diseases and problems is increasing with the aging of the baby boomer population, it is terribly disturbing to see the dramatic spike in diabetic retinopathy cases, a consequence of the diabetes epidemic that this country is experiencing with no end in sight,” Dr. Kelly explained.

The vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented if it's caught early and treated in time. More than one third of those diagnosed with diabetes do not adhere to vision care guidelines recommending a dilated eye exam every year. As part of Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month we are urging people with diabetes to have a dilated eye exam every year. The longer a person has diabetes, the greater his or her risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. However, diabetic retinopathy does not only affect people who have had diabetes for many years, it can also appear within the first year or two after the onset of the disease.

“Blood sugar levels can weaken blood vessels causing them to break down which causes swelling, hemorrhages and lipid deposits that can ultimately lead to vision loss. More ominous is the effect of the blood vessel breakdown and oxygen deprivation in promoting fragile new blood vessel growth that can easily break resulting in vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment and catastrophic vision loss,” further explained Dr. Kelly.

In addition to having regular eye examinations and testing at the direction of your eye doctor, patients can help to reduce the risk of developing diabetic eye disease  by not smoking, controlling their cholesterol and lipid profile and blood pressure, as well as working to eat a heart-healthy diet rich in fish, fruit and green leafy vegetables and exercising.

If you or someone you know has diabetes or even elevated blood sugar levels they should work to prevent diabetic eye disease and problems with regular eye exams by calling Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visiting www.center-for-sight.com or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an appointment.

Center for Sight is conveniently located at 1565 North Main Street, Suite 406, Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 for patients from Massachusetts or Rhode Island.