Diabetic Eye Exams in Anchorage

A diabetic eye exam includes:

- A vision check at different distances

- Eye pressure measurement to screen for glaucoma, which is more common in people with diabetes

- Dilating drops so the doctor can examine the retina and its blood vessels with a special lens and light

- Fundus photography and Optos retinal imaging to document your retina and track changes over time

- OCT imaging, which shows cross sections of the retina and its thickness in detail

The dilating drops make your eyes sensitive to light and blur close-up vision for a few hours. Bring sunglasses, and you may want someone to drive you home.

Over time, high blood sugar can weaken the tiny blood vessels in the retina. In the early stage, called non-proliferative retinopathy, these vessels can leak or swell. In the advanced stage, called proliferative retinopathy, the eye grows fragile new vessels that can bleed and cause serious vision loss.

Diabetic macular edema happens when fluid leaks into the macula, the center of the retina, and blurs your central vision. It can happen at any stage.

Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in working-age adults, and it usually has no symptoms early on. Your vision can feel completely normal while damage is starting.

Finding it early gives you the most options. Good control of blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol helps, and if treatment is needed we refer you to a retina specialist. Diabetes also raises the risk of cataracts and glaucoma, which we check for at the same visit.