November is American Diabetes Month

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness among adults in the United States. Nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes.
Another 79 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, if you have diabetes, it is important to know that with improved methods of diagnosis and treatment, a smaller percentage of people develop serious vision problems.  When you are diagnosed with diabetes, you should have your eyes checked within 5 years of diagnosis if you are 29 years old or younger and within a few months of the diagnosis if you are 30 years old or older. If you need to be examined for eyeglasses, it is important that your blood sugar be consistently under control for several days when you see your eye doctor. Eyeglasses that work well when blood sugar is out of control will not work well when blood sugar is stable.

Gordon-Weiss-Schanzlin Vision Institute is dedicated to supporting research in Diabetic Retinopathy. We recently participated with the San Diego Optometric Society in the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes, sponsored by the American Diabetes Association.

For more information about diabetic retinopathy, click here.