Diabetic Eye Exams in Woodmere

Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) is the early stage of diabetic retinopathy and occurs when your blood vessels start to leak. Leaking fluid can lead to swelling in the macula, the part of the retina that renders faces, text, and fine details.

Occasionally, the blood vessels that supply the eye become blocked, as they struggle to bring blood to this important vision center, starving the macula’s cells of oxygen (macular ischemia).

Blurred vision is common with NPDR. NPDR can eventually worsen to an advanced stage, proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

PDR causes trouble for patients due to the development of neovascularization. Retinal blood vessels under increased pressure grow new blood vessels that fan throughout the retinal tissue. Blood leaking from these new blood vessels into the watery center of your eye can produce discolored vision. Eventually, scar tissue can form, negatively impacting your vision.

Macular swelling can lead to diabetic macular edema (DME), a complication of diabetic retinopathy. When the macula swells, you may lose some of your vision. You may experience washed out or blurry vision.

DME can worsen, and it can develop during either the early or late stages of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetes increases the risks of developing glaucoma significantly. Because diabetes comes hand-in-hand with high blood pressure, the retina’s tiny blood vessels can leak into the aqueous chamber, interfering with natural drainage canals in your eye. This can result in increased intraocular pressure, causing progressive damage to the optic nerve.