Preserve Your Vision With Pine Eye Associates

Diabetic Retinopathy in Pine City

Preserve Your Vision With Pine Eye Associates

Schedule Eye Exam

Have diabetes?

Experiencing changes in vision, such as blurriness and eye floaters?

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of vision loss around the world. Of an estimated 285 million people with diabetes mellitus worldwide, approximately one-third have signs of diabetic retinopathy.

Fortunately, there are several steps people with diabetes can take to prevent or minimize vision loss.

Blood sugar level check


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What Is Diabetic Retinopathy?

noraml eye and an eye with  diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease caused by high blood sugar levels that damage the small blood vessels clustered within your retina. This leads to swelling or fluid leakage and can result in vision loss and even blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy also raises the risk of retinal detachment and/or glaucoma.

Because the early stages of diabetic retinopathy show no symptoms, many don't realize they have it until the disease has progressed.

If you have diabetes, you are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. To reduce your risk and protect your vision, schedule an eye exam with Pine Eye Associates today.


What Are the Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy?

diabetic-retinopothy-oct-scan

As mentioned above, the early phase of diabetic retinopathy typically shows no symptoms. This is why it's important to have routine eye exams (all the more so if you have diabetes), as your eye doctor can detect diabetic retinopathy in its earlier stages before symptoms become apparent.

Symptoms of proliferative diabetic retinopathy include:
  • Blurred vision
  • Floaters
  • Double vision
  • Near vision problems
  • Seeing dark spots (scotomas)
  • Difficulty seeing at night

What are the Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy?

Non-Proliferative Retinopathy (early stage):
This occurs when small bulges–or microaneurysms–form in blood vessels and can leak fluid into the retina.

Proliferative Retinopathy (later phase):
This refers to abnormal vessel growth and leakage in the retina. This triggers a variety of vision problems such as blurriness, reduced field of vision, and even blindness.

If you have diabetes, Pine Eye Associates in Pine City offers diagnostic tests and treatment options to help preserve your vision. The earlier the diagnosis, the better the treatment outcome.

Diabetic-Retinopathy-Bllod-sugar-level-checker


How Optometrists Diagnose Diabetic Retinopathy

  • Medical history

    Your optometrist will ask about your medical history, including diabetes, as well as your family history of eye conditions.

  • Dilated pupil exam

    Your optometrist will apply eye drops to dilate the pupils so they can see inside the eye and detect any issues.

  • Fluorescein angiography

    This eye test uses a special dye and camera to look at blood flow in the retina and choroid.

  • Optical coherence tomography

    This imaging method shows a cross-section of the retina and can indicate whether vessels are leaking fluid into the retina.


Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosis & Treatment in Pine City

Our optometry practice in Pine City

Photograph of Rafe  Garofalo
Hours
  • Monday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Tuesday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Thursday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed
  • Dec. 25 Closed
Insurance Plans
  • VSP
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Aetna
  • Cigna
  • Spectera
  • Superior Vision
  • Davis Vision
  • EyeMed
  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield

How to Treat Diabetic Retinopathy

senior man with diabetic retinopathy

Treatment begins with managing blood sugar levels and diabetes. This means eating a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, and taking whatever diabetes medication has been prescribed.

Other treatments will depend on the stage or severity of the disease. If caught early, only blood sugar management may be necessary.

However, if you're in a more advanced stage of the diseases, treatment options may include:
  • Eye medications. Steroid and Anti-VEGF treatments can stop inflammation and prevent the formation of new blood vessels.
  • Laser surgery. Reduces the proliferation of abnormal blood vessels and swelling in the retina.
  • Vitrectomy. If you have proliferative diabetic retinopathy, you may need an eye surgery called vitrectomy. This procedure removes scar tissue, blood or fluid, and some of the vitreous gel so light rays can better focus on the retina.
Patient Reviews
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78 Reviews
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- Nov. 12, 2023
Excellent care and kind staff. Helpful with finding frames, and transparent about insurance deductib... les and extra costs.
- Nov. 02, 2023
Fast and quick service
- Oct. 13, 2023
Highly recommend to all my friends and family. Best eye doctor and I am always highly satisfied with... the whole experience at pine eye. They were the first ones that got my prescription right… I couldn’t see for 30 years… and then I went to pine eye.
- Sep. 17, 2023
Excellent doctors and staff! Very personal service! I would highly recommend Pine Eye Associates!
- Aug. 29, 2023
Very strong communication between doctor and her staff! My doctor did a very intense appointment.... And that made me happy. I just got alot if issues going on. And she attended to my needs. Im 100 percent satisfied with my visit.
- Aug. 29, 2023
Dr. Garofalo is the best around. I’ll never see anyone else. He’s so pleasant, easy to be around... , we spend half of every visit laughing; my kids love him. The rest of the staff are lovely as well. I’ve never had a negative experience in our many years of going to Pine Eye.
- Aug. 01, 2023
great service and people
- Jun. 08, 2023
Love the personalized service!
- Apr. 28, 2023
Excellent, top notch staff! Warm and friendly, and very caring and knowledgeable!
- Apr. 28, 2023
Wonderful place! Staff are very nice and professional.
- Apr. 20, 2023
Great place, great people! Go on a Thursday if possible 😂
- Mar. 16, 2023
Always a great experience and feel valued
- Mar. 09, 2023
Forever the best eye care!
- Mar. 03, 2023
Great service from the time I walked in the door. Very friendly and professional!
- Feb. 04, 2023
Expert care with family feel!!
- Dec. 28, 2022
My family has been going to Pine Eye Assoc. for years. I highly recommend them.
- Oct. 13, 2022
Always warm,caring and lighthearted.I always enjoy Dr. Iversons way of explaining everything in lam... en terms and her wonderful humor lol.
- Oct. 10, 2022
Wonderful experience!
- Oct. 08, 2022
Great clinic! Dr. Toler is very knowledgeable and has a great attitude.
- Oct. 07, 2022
Fantastic clinic. Our family has been seeing Dr G and Kristie for years and years and years. He has... always resolved our emergencies and complicated prescriptions. He is very reassuring and pleasant conversationalist. All the ladies at the clinic are great and very respectful. We have moved out of state and still drive to this clinic for our appointments.

View All 78 Reviews

Diabetic Retinopathy FAQs

What are the major risk factors for diabetic retinopathy?

As the name suggests, diabetes is the main risk factor for developing diabetic retinopathy. Be mindful of your family history of type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, get an annual eye exam to detect potential problems early.

Other conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol are also risk factors. Moreover, those of African or Hispanic descent have a higher risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.

Can diabetic retinopathy be prevented?

There are a number of ways to preserve your vision and reduce the risk of vision and eye damage due to diabetic retinopathy.

  • Visit your eye doctor for annual eye exams.
  • Control your blood sugar levels.
  • Maintain healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Quit smoking.

The best thing you can do right now is to schedule your eye exam with Pine Eye Associates in Pine City to ensure that everything is in check.

Does diabetic retinopathy cause blindness?

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the main causes of blindness among work-aged adults. It affects one in three people with diabetes and often goes unnoticed at first. Diagnosing and treating the condition early on can prevent severe vision loss.


blood sugaer level testing kit

Have diabetes?

Early detection and timely treatment can prevent vision loss.

Schedule Eye Exam