In addition to blood sugar levels, diabetic patients must also receive regular eye exams to closely monitor the condition of their eyes.

The American Diabetes Association recently revealed the results of The Diabetes Eye Health Study, and they were quite interesting. Of those surveyed, 96 percent acknowledge that diabetes could lead to blindness, and 83 percent believe in the importance of annual eye exams. However, 20 percent admitted that they have not had an eye exam in the past year. As Health Canal puts it, the study unfortunately demonstrated that “awareness does not always drive action when it comes to eye health.”

The World Health Organization estimates that 347 million people around the world have diabetes, with about 25.8 million of those patients residing in the United States (Centers for Disease Control). John E. Anderson, MD, told Health Canal that it is absolutely necessary for these patients to have annual eye exams so they can avoid complications and decrease their risk of eye problems associated with diabetes such as glaucoma, cataracts, and diabetic macular edema, emphasizing that “diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults.”

If you haven’t been encouraging diabetic patients to continue with their annual eye exams, now’s the time to do so. It’s extremely important to remind them that this is not only the best way to care for their vision, but it also provides them with a better chance at having a vision problem or eye disease detected and treated in its earliest stages.

An optomap exam is an easy and comfortable screening tool for practitioners treating diabetic patients. With a quick, non-invasive scan, practitioners can check the condition of a patient’s retina, as well as show the patient any areas of concern with images that are available on the spot. Visit our website today for more information.

Source: Praisaeng / Freedigitalphotos.net