The Connection Between Diabetic Retinopathy and Low Vision
If you have diabetes, you’re at risk of an eye condition called diabetic retinopathy. This condition can lead to vision loss if you don’t seek treatment and manage diabetes. At Dr. Edward Paul, OD, PhD, our optometrists in Wilmington, Charlotte, Asheville, and Durham, NC, provide treatments for diabetic retinopathy, such as low vision aids and rehabilitation. Let’s explore how this condition affects your vision in more detail!
How Diabetic Retinopathy Affects Your Eyes
This diabetes complication harms the retinas in your eyes, affecting your ability to see. You might not have obvious symptoms at first. But you can slowly lose your vision if you don’t get help for diabetic retinopathy.
Over time, you may develop symptoms, such as:
- Blurry vision
- Increasing difficulty seeing clearly
- Eye redness and/or pain
- Floaters
You don’t have to wait until you have noticeable symptoms of this condition. If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, you should have a low vision evaluation done.
How Low Vision Care Helps
Having an evaluation done allows us to determine which treatment approaches might be most helpful to you. With the right care, you may be able to improve your ability to see clearly or prevent your symptoms from getting worse.
Depending on your evaluation results, we might discuss options with you, such as:
- Low vision aids, like implanted devices
- Low vision rehabilitation, including nutritional counseling and mobility-related training
These treatments can help you regain your quality of life while living with diabetic retinopathy!
Set Up a Low Vision Evaluation Today!
Have you been diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy? Our optometrists can help treat this condition to protect your vision. We offer evaluations and treatments for low vision in Wilmington, Charlotte, Asheville, and Durham, NC.