Diabetic
retinopathy is best treated and managed with early detection and diagnosis.
This can be especially important for children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.
The earlier we can detect and diagnose the diabetic eye problems, the better we
can prepare to help prevent vision loss. Most often diabetic retinopathy is
diagnosed during a dilated exam of the retina during an eye exam. However, we
also have a very sensitive non-invasive “kid friendly” imaging system in our
office called Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) that can help us detect the
very earliest types of changes from diabetes-even before they might be visible
during a dilated retinal exam.
According to a clinical study reported in the
journal Ophthalmic
Surgery, Laser and Imaging Retina Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus causes and degenerative
effect on certain nerve cells in the retina even before the breakdown of blood
vessels occurs with diabetic retinopathy. From this research, it is thought
that OCT may be more useful than just a dilated retinal exam in kids with Type 1 Diabetes
Mellitus.
If you or someone you know has a child or
young adult with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, please make sure they are having
regular eye exams but also that we might perform an OCT as part of their care.
If you have questions or wish to schedule an appointment please call Center
for Sight 508-730-2020, visit Center for Sight, Google+ 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.
