Diabetes

Diabetes is a condition where the body does not produce adequate  insulin or cannot use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that breaks down glucose (sugar) so that it can be used by the body. The body's problem with in not making enough insulin causes the level of glucose in the blood to rise. This can cause a wide range of complications, including retinopathy, neuropathy and nephropathy. People with diabetes are at risk of developing a complication called diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy affects the blood vessels supplying the retina – the seeing part of the eye.  The vessels in the retina of the eye can become blocked, start to leak and/or grow abnormally like weeds.   This damage eventually can lead to permanent damage to the retina if left untreated.

Diabetic retinopathy is a common amongst diabetics and is one of the leading causes of blindness in adults under the age of 65. It is estimated that approximately 25% of people with type 1 diabetes will have some form of diabetic retinopathy five to ten years after their symptoms develop. If diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed and treated in a timely manner, the prognosis is good. Early stage diabetic retinopathy can usually be treated by bringing your diabetes under better control. More advanced diabetic retinopathy can require medical and/or laser surgery to prevent further damage to the eyes.

It is important to keep blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels under control. This drastically reduces the risk of developing retinopathy.  But, your best protection against retinopathy is having your eyes examined regularly, with photography when you are first diagnosed and then every year.

At North Shore Eye Care, our board certified eye doctors, Dr. S. Martin, Dr. Zweibel, Dr. J. Martin, and Dr. Mauro see many patients with diabetes.  In Long Island (Suffolk and Nassau Counties), we see patients from smithtown, nesconset, saint james, kings park, centereach, selden, coram, middle island, riverhead, ridge, stony brook, setauket, port jefferson, shoreham, wading river, miller place, mt sinai, rocky point, patchogue, medford, farmingdale, farmingville, bellport, bayport, blue point, yaphank, brookhaven, shirley, mastic, moriches, manorville, calverton, jamesport, cutchogue, mattituck, southold, eastport, westhampton, east hampton, southampton, sag harbor, montauk, amagansett, hampton bays, kings park, islandia, islip, hauppauge, lake grove, bohemia, ronkonkoma, holtsville, holbrook, sayville, commack, stony brook, setauket, port jefferson, nissequogue, head of the harbor, old field, poquott, belle terre, fort salonga huntington,  northport, cold spring harbor, dix hills, melville, deer park, centerport, greenlawn, plainview woodbury, syosset, bethpage, massapequa, lindenhurst, sayville, bay shore, babylon, roslyn, great neck, manhasset, east meadow, merrick, rockville center, garden city, mineola, and many other towns including queens, brooklyn, manhattan.