Diabetes mellitus is a leading cause of blindness and has little to no warning signs.
Our providers help to screen for three main eye conditions associated with diabetes:
1. Cataract: A natural clouding in the crystalline lens. Poorly controlled sugars can cause cataracts to progress quicker than usual.
2. Diabetic Retinopathy: Slow, silent damage to the blood vessels in the eye. This can lead to leaky blood vessels and swelling in the central area of vision (diabetic macular edema) and new blood vessel growth and bleeding in the periphery of the retina.
3. Glaucoma: Increased pressure inside the eye (often this is not felt or noticed) that leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision.
At Hecker Eye Care Associates, our doctors can detect and help manage all three of these conditions. Please call our office to schedule your annual diabetic eye screening examination for diabetic eye disease. Our providers will perform a thorough examination and will correspond with your primary care doctor or endocrinologist about your eye health.
Author
Dr. Christopher D. Weaver, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.O., is a general ophthalmologist specializing in surgical and medical treatment of diseases of the eye, including the following: cataracts and cataract surgery, medical, surgical, and laser treatments for glaucoma, surgical treatment for eyelid lesions, diabetic eye exams, and comprehensive ophthalmology. Dr. Weaver completed his ophthalmology residency as chief resident in ophthalmology at the University of Virginia Health System in Charlottesville, Virginia. He was awarded the prestigious Kenneth Tuck Award in 2015. Dr. Weaver is a graduate of SUNY Upstate Medical University, College of Medicine, where he received numerous academic honors and awards, including graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2012, induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and Gold Humanism Society in 2011, and receiving the Excellence in Clinical Skills Award in 2010.