Managing diabetes means caring for every part of your health, including your eyes. Diabetes can affect your vision, often before any noticeable symptoms appear.
At Prairie Vision, we offer comprehensive diabetic eye exams using advanced diagnostic technology, including Optos® retinal imaging, to detect early signs of eye disease and help prevent complications.
Because diabetes increases the risk of eye conditions, annual eye exams are recommended. Our eye doctors in Wainwright and Vermilion are committed to providing thorough diabetic eye care to help protect your vision and support long-term eye health.
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Preparing for your diabetic eye exam is simple. Please bring the following items:
While diabetes can sometimes cause temporary blurred vision due to fluctuating blood sugar, the long-term risks are more significant. High blood sugar can damage the delicate blood vessels in the retina, leading to more serious complications over time.
In the short term, you may notice blurred vision caused by changes in fluid levels, which can affect your ability to focus. However, over time, untreated high blood sugar levels can permanently damage the retina, leading to different conditions.
Diabetic retinopathy occurs when damage causes your retinal blood vessels to weaken, bulge, and leak into the retina.
As the disease gets worse, blood vessels can close off and deprive oxygen to the retina. To compensate, your eyes grow new abnormal blood vessels that break easily, increase pressure inside the eye, cause scarring, lead to floaters, and impair vision.
Complications caused by diabetic retinopathy can also lead to diabetic macular edema. Leaking fluids from damaged blood vessels can collect under the macula, the part of the eye responsible for sharp, central vision, causing swelling (edema) and partial vision loss.
As abnormal blood vessels grow in the eyes, they can block the eye’s drainage system. When blood and fluids leaking from broken vessels have nowhere to drain, internal eye pressure can become dangerously high.
When this happens, it can cause glaucoma, a progressive eye disease that damages the optic nerve.
Cataracts can be caused by diabetes when blood sugar collects in the aqueous humour, the fluid between the lens and the cornea that supplies the lens with nutrients and oxygen. High blood sugar levels in the aqueous humour can cause the lens to swell, leading to blurred and cloudy vision.
At Prairie Vision, we use technology like Optos retinal imaging to get a detailed view of your retina, optic nerve, and blood vessels. This wide-angle, high-definition imaging helps our team detect early signs of damage, such as those caused by diabetes, that may not be visible during a traditional exam.
Optos imaging is quick, comfortable, and noninvasive, helping us take early action to protect your vision with relevant and helpful technology.
Managing diabetes means staying proactive about your eye health. Regular, thorough eye exams can detect early signs of diabetic eye disease before symptoms appear, helping prevent vision loss and maintain your quality of life.
At Prairie Vision, our team combines diagnostic technology, including Optos retinal imaging, with personalized care to monitor your eye health and provide guidance tailored to your needs.
Schedule your comprehensive diabetic eye exam today and focus on your long-term eye health.
Book AppointmentWe serve patients of all ages from Wainwright, Viking, Provost, Lloydminster, Macklin, and the surrounding areas.
* Closed on Statutory Holidays
We serve patients of all ages from Kitscoty, Mannville, Elk Point, Dewberry, and the surrounding areas.
* Closed on Statutory Holidays
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