As a diabetic, it is very important to have an eye exam at least once a year, even if you’re not having any difficulty with your vision. Diabetes can cause damage to the small blood vessels to the back of your eye, causing them to bleed and distort vision.  It’s the leading cause of vision loss among working age adults. DME or Diabetic Macular Edema, is when the area of your central vision is involved and swelling occurs. Other ocular changes that can occur from being diabetic are cataracts, a clouding of the lens and glaucoma, a disease that damages the optic nerve. Diabetic Retinopathy can often go unnoticed until vision loss occurs, so all diabetics should have a dilated eye exam once a year as early detection by your optometrist can decrease the chances of having vision loss.

Dr. Nicholas Catchuk, IRIS Optometrist, www.iris.ca