In the United States, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in people under the age of 65. It can cause cataracts, glaucoma and a host of other problems, but it’s main target is the small blood vessels in the retina.
What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
A complication of diabetes involving abnormal blood vessels which nourish the retina of the eye.
Blockage of the vessels can lead to the development of small pouches in the blood vessel walls (microaneurisms), leakage from the vessels (exudates), bleeding, swelling (edema) in the center of the retina, and even the growth of new blood vessels which are fragile and bleed easily, leading to scarring and decreased vision.
This devastating eye disease can only be found upon a thorough dilated eye examination. The examination is important because the disease can be treated and vision saved with prompt, in-officetreatments. Of course, if we don’t know about the problem we cannot treat it, so routine eye examinations are of the utmost importance to diabetics.
Intravitreal anti-VEGF injections can improve the vision of people with diabetic maculopathy. VEGF stands for “vascular endothelial growth factor”. It is one of the chemicals responsible for the growth of new blood vessels that form in the eye. Anti-VEGF medicines work by blocking this chemical and stopping it from producing the blood vessels.
Steroid injections may also slow diabetes-related eye disease.
Dr. Carlin is a highly experienced, board-certified ophthalmologist and Diplomate of the American Board of Ophthalmology with more than five decades of experience in vision care and surgical innovation. A graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine, he completed his ophthalmology residency at the University of Michigan before serving in the United States Navy in Key West, Florida. In 1977, he founded CarlinVision and has since built a longstanding reputation for excellence in LASIK, cataract surgery, refractive procedures, and cosmetic eyelid surgery. Throughout his career, Dr. Carlin has completed more than 11,000 procedures and remains at the forefront of advanced laser and refractive technologies. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and an active member of multiple leading professional organizations, reflecting his enduring commitment to clinical excellence and patient care.
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