Diabetic Eye Exam Compliance is Critical

Being compliant with the schedule and level of necessary testing for diabetic eye disease, problems and retinopathy is critical for preventing vision loss. Yet, many people are simply not in compliance with the recommendations. Minimizing the risk of vision loss from diabetic eye disease requires that patients do their part and keep a strict schedule with their eye doctor’s recommendations for diabetic eye exams and testing.

Research on Diabetic Eye Exam Compliance Factors
Researchers reporting in Ophthalmology, studied and identified variables that predict adherence with annual eye examinations using the Compliance with Annual Diabetic Eye Exams Survey (CADEES), a new questionnaire designed to measure health beliefs related to diabetic retinopathy and annual eye examinations. A number of factors seemed to influence diabetic patient compliance with annual eye exams. These include:

a) whether patients believed that their insurance would pay for the eye exam, 

b) how difficult it was to get an appointment for an eye exam, 

c) whether patients had been effectively counseled and prioritized the importance of getting an eye exam and 

d) whether patients had been told that they had diabetic retinopathy.

The researchers also found that the clinicians played a key role in eye exam compliance. Compliance was improved if they counseled newly diagnosed patients more diligently and more carefully counseled those with poorly controlled blood sugar by stressing the importance of annual eye examinations and discussing and helping patients remove perceived barriers and misconceptions.

If you or someone you know has diabetes they need to have regular annual dilated eye exams to prevent vision loss from diabetic eye diseases and problems. Please share this information with anyone you know who is diabetic and ask them to call us at 508-730-2020, visit Center for Sight, Google+ or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver.

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

Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment

Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is a significant cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. Although diabetic laser treatment has been the standard treatment for DME for nearly 3o years, there is now important information and data that suggests that better results and vision outcomes can be achieved with Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Inhibitor injections such as Lucentis® and Eylea® injections.

Research on Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment
According to a report in the American Journal of Ophthalmology in which a thorough analysis of published studies performed on Diabetic Maculopathy from between January 1, 1985 and July 31, 2013 was reviewed, the number of patients with DME gaining an improvement of seeing an additional 10-15 letters on the eye chart was at least 2 times greater for those patients treated with the VEGF inhibitor injections as compared to being treated with laser treatments. Thus, the researchers concluded that VEGF injections such as Lucentis® and Eylea® are superior to laser photocoagulation for treatment of moderate to severe visual impairment caused by DME.

If you or someone you know has diabetes and is concerned about their risk of Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) or Diabetic Retinopathy, it is critical that they have regular dilated eye exams. Please call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visit Center for Sight, Google+ or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver.

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

Diabetic Retinopathy Eye Exams: What to Know

The best way to prevent vision loss from diabetes and diabetic eye problems and disease is to to have regular dilated eye exams as often as your doctor recommends. In addition, you should know that he eye examinations for diabetic retinopathy need to be thorough and when necessary include advanced testing such as retinal photography, fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in order to really document how the retina and it’s blood vessels are functioning. Depending on your particular risk factors, 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 us at 508-730-2020, visit Center for Sight, Google+ or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver.

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

Diabetic Eye Problems Continue to Increase

Diabetic eye problems associated with diabetic eye disease including diabetic retinopathy continue to be a leading cause of vision loss and new cases of blindness according to Prevent Blindness America. According to the Centers for Disease Control, diabetes affects more than 26 million people in the United States. The Prevent Blindness America Vision Problems in the U.S. report identified that there are more than 8 million people ages 40 and older who have diabetic retinopathy which has resulted in diabetes actually being the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74 years of age. 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. 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. This month, November, in recognition 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.

Managing Risk Factors for Diabetic Eye Problems
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. Maintaining a healthy weight level and Body Mass Index (BMI) and avoiding being overweight or obese are also great ways to help control diabetes and prevent diabetic eye problems.

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 us at 508-730-2020, visit Center for Sight, Google+ or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver.

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