Diabetes is one of the most common chronic illnesses which can affect different parts of your body. It can affect the blood vessels in your eyes, weakening them and causing blood and other fluid leakage into your eyes. You can experience blurred and poor vision symptoms, leading to vision loss if left untreated. You should act fast and collaborate with medical experts like the Bronx diabetic retinopathy specialists to catch the condition and effectively manage it. Here is what you should do if you suspect diabetic retinopathy.
Estimate How Severe Your Condition Is
Diabetic retinopathy can occur in four stages, the last being the most severe. Visit your eye doctor and let them know you have diabetes. Your provider will perform an eye exam and assess your symptoms to understand how serious your eye condition is. The nature of your condition helps you understand the necessary and most effective steps to manage the situation. Your doctor will help you understand if your condition is mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, moderate nonproliferative retinopathy, severe nonproliferative retinopathy, or proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
Investigate if You Are Enduring Diabetes
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the many effects of diabetes. Therefore, the first step to take when you are concerned about the condition is to get a diabetes diagnosis. Talk to your doctor about a blood test and check your diabetes status. Negative results indicate that you suffer from something else but not diabetic retinopathy. However, you will still need to see your eye doctor to understand the eye health symptoms you are experiencing, even if you do not have diabetes.
Manage Your Blood Sugar
Your blood test could indicate you have diabetes and the next step is to evaluate how you can manage the condition. Diabetes is a chronic issue that requires daily efforts to manage. Your doctor will put up a plan to help you manage your blood sugar levels, and it will be necessary to stick to the plan. Take your medications correctly, and uphold a lifestyle that inspires healthy blood sugar levels. You might need to adjust your diet, lose weight, and generate an exercise plan to eliminate the spikes in your blood sugar levels. Remember that managing your diabetes forms an important part of managing diabetic retinopathy.
Consider Surgery
While managing diabetes is the initial treatment step you should take when dealing with diabetic retinopathy, it might not be enough. Several surgical interventions can help you control the abnormal blood vessels, especially if the condition is in advanced stages. Your doctor will select the procedure they think will benefit you more. You might gain from medication injections, laser surgery, or vitrectomy surgery.
Maintain Regular Eye Checkups
Everybody should maintain regular eye checkups and examinations. However, you should never miss a session of eye checkup once diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy. Note that treatments for the condition only slow the situation down and stop the progression but do not cure the disease. Therefore, there are chances of future complications. Please visit your eye doctor regularly after diabetic retinopathy treatment to investigate the progress of your eye health and detect any possible issues before they advance for effective management.
Talking to your doctor is among the first things you should do when you are concerned about diabetic retinopathy. Learn more from the Bainbridge Eye Care specialists by scheduling a consultation appointment today. Visit, call or use the online tool for your appointment.