Diabetes Affecting Vision

More than one million Australians have diabetes.  Diabetes can cause both changes in vision over time and daily fluctuations in the ability to focus properly.   An Optometrist can be the first clinician to recognise diabetes signs in their patients.

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common diabetic eye diseases. It is caused by changes in the small blood vessels of the retina. These vessels may swell and leak fluid into the surrounding retina and sometimes abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina.  If you have diabetic retinopathy, you may not notice changes to your vision. But over time, diabetic retinopathy can get worse and cause vision loss, or even blindness. 

At Eyre Eye Centre, we advise people with diabetes to have an eye exam on diagnosis of the condition and every year thereafter.  Changes need to be detected early to ensure appropriate intervention and prevention of vision loss. 

At Eyre Eye Centre our Optometrists have many years’ experience in the detection and management of diabetic eye disease.  We have invested in state of the art equipment such as retinal imaging and macula scanning to ensure changes are detected as early as possible.