Diabetic Eye Exams in New York

Cataracts are the clouding of the eye’s natural lens. Looking through a cataract is much like looking through a frosted window. Cataracts are often associated with aging and develop slowly over time. Those with diabetes are more likely to develop cataracts and at a younger age than average.

Early cataracts are easily managed with eyeglasses or contact lenses, but they will eventually worsen and interfere with your vision. As cataracts progress, you may require cataract removal surgery, which can be done at our clinic at Advanced Eye Physician.

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that damages the blood vessels in the retina. It occurs when blood sugar levels remain too high for too long. Anyone with diabetes (type 1, type 2, and gestational) can develop retinopathy.

This eye disease can lead to vision loss and blindness if left undiagnosed and untreated.

Non-proliferative retinopathy

Non-proliferative retinopathy occurs when the walls of the retinal blood vessels weaken and begin to bulge. These weakened vessels can start to break and leak fluid and blood into the retina.

Sometimes, the nerve fibers in the macula can begin to swell, leading to a complication called macular edema.

Proliferative retinopathy

As retinopathy advances, it can develop into proliferative diabetic retinopathy. It occurs when the retinal blood vessels are blocked entirely, causing your eye to grow new, abnormal vessels to compensate. These vessels are weak and easily break, leaking blood into the vitreous.

Scar tissue can develop around these new blood vessels and may cause the vitreous to detach from the retina.