Preserve Your Vision With Family Focus EyeCare

Diabetic Retinopathy in Fond du Lac

Preserve Your Vision With Family Focus EyeCare

(920) 922-7121

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


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 Family Focus EyeCare 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, Family Focus EyeCare in Fond du Lac 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.


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.

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 Family Focus EyeCare in Fond du Lac 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.

Patient Reviews
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481 Reviews
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- Oct. 01, 2024
Dr. Suzanne was very kind and made me feel comfortable for my first eye exam in a long time! The sta... ff was also kind and helpful during my visit as well. Can’t wait to get my new frames!
- Jul. 03, 2024
1000/10 experience! The staff is absolutely amazing and knowledgeable. The opticians were extremely ... helpful in picking out frames that fit my face. I definitely will be recommending this place to my friends and family. All I can say is the new management is wonderful!
- Jan. 17, 2024
Great staff
- Nov. 29, 2023
All around excellent experience. Lindsay was the tech, she was kind very helpful. Dr Courtney was ph... enomenal. Provided lots of education, patience for all questions and excellent patient care. The tech who helped with fitting and ordering glasses had great customer care as well.
- May. 11, 2023
They were on time with our appointments. The staff was very thorough, friendly and helpful.
- May. 03, 2023
Great service and friendly staff
- May. 03, 2023
Great people and very knowledgeable staff.
- Apr. 28, 2023
Always great service and attention to detail and care for my eyes.
- Apr. 18, 2023
Although my visits are only once a year I enjoy the kind and uplifting atmosphere.
- Apr. 05, 2023
Always a pleasure going in for an exam with, Dr Jessica Kulick and her team. Full of smiles and laug... hs. Thank you for your wonderful care of my eyes👀!
- Apr. 04, 2023
Family Focus is AMAZING!! I recommend them to everyone and won’t go anywhere else!
- Mar. 30, 2023
Always helpful, polite and professional. Clean rooms, floors, countertops, mirrors, etc. Excellent d... octor and staff.
- Mar. 30, 2023
Great group of people... my glasses broke and of all the optical places my wife and I traveled the F... ond du Lac area to see what could be done, Family Focus staff was interested and concerned about our/my needs. They took the time to see what could be done and gave guidance to the best process at the time. Our choices were very limited but they generally cared. After we left and were at a recommended jewelry shop to get my glasses temporarily fixed, the staff called the jeweler to advise of a cancelation and if I would like the opening and I wasn't even a registered patient....I am now. Even though there was not much that could have been done to assist at that moment the Family Focus made my wife and I feel like Family... Thank you so much for customer support and follow up, which is hard to come by today. We were blessed for stopping and our support and patronage is theirs.
- Mar. 24, 2023
Eye exam went great. No waiting and great service. Thank you and see you in a year.
- Mar. 23, 2023
Always do a great job!
- Mar. 23, 2023
Always friendly and thorough.
- Mar. 22, 2023
The Dr is thorough with my exams every year and is pleasant to talk with. All the workers are always... wearing a smile and willing to help out anyway they can. I will never go anywhere else.
- Mar. 21, 2023
Wow, everybody here tonight did amazing job. 👏 Angi thank you so much for helping my son. You pu... t a smile on his face.
- Mar. 17, 2023
Staff is Always friendly, professional, and willing to assist. Also love Dr. Jessica
- Mar. 16, 2023
Love the Dr Courtney, she is super nice and great with kids and she explains things very well. And ... the front end tech are super nice. WAY TO GO!

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Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosis & Treatment in Fond du Lac

Our optometry practice in Fond du Lac

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Hours
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  • Tuesday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday 7:30 am - 5:30 pm
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  • Friday 8:00 am - 1:00 pm
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed
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Have diabetes?

Early detection and timely treatment can prevent vision loss.

(920) 922-7121