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Home » Eye Care Services » Your Eye Health » Eye Diseases » Diabetes and Eyesight » Overview of Diabetic Retinopathy

Overview of Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy involves swelling, leaking or abnormal growth of blood vessels in or near the retina. There are multiple stages to this disease, the earliest of which may not present any symptoms you can see.

Symptoms you can see include dark or black spots in your vision that increase over time, or severely blurred vision due to bleeding within the eye.

That’s why comprehensive eye exams are so important when thinking about diabetes and eye sight—both type 1 and type 2 diabetics are at risk for developing diabetic retinopathy, and the longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to develop some form of the disease.

Treatments for diabetic retinopathy include replacement of the inner gel inside the eye (called a vitrectomy) and different kinds of laser surgery. A recent clinical trial also suggested that better control of blood sugar levels slows the onset and progression of the disease in many patients.

 

Special thanks to the EyeGlass Guide, for informational material that aided in the creation of this website. Visit the EyeGlass Guide today!

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We will be following CDC Guidelines for safe practices.

For an appointment, you can call the office at (707) 527-9137 or fill out the New Patient Registration Form on this site.

(Click on the lady holding the white square) and it will be sent to us.

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Our patients can also order contact lenses directly from this site.

We look forward to seeing you for your vision and eye health needs.

Dr. Hollis Stavn Optometry