Diabetes can come with many health consequences, including diabetic eye disease. Did you know that diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults between 20 and 74 years old? Thousands of people each year lose their sight to diabetic eye disease because diabetic eye disease goes undetected.
Detection begins with regular yearly eye exams!
The American Optometric Association reports that a full 55% of people do not know that diabetic eye disease often has no symptoms, and that 44% of Americans don’t know that a person with diabetes should have an eye exam each year.
Eye doctors in Olympia often hear that patients dislike dilated eye exams, but dilating the eye gives your optometrist an unrestricted view of the retina, allowing him to look for signs of disease.
African-Americans and Hispanics are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as Caucasians – 11.8% of Hispanics have the disease, and 12.6% of African-Americans, reports the American Diabetes Association.
To schedule your comprehensive eye exam or to get answers to your questions about diabetes, diabetic retinopathy, or diabetic eye disease, contact our Olympia eye doctor, Dr. Douglas Jeske. Dr. Jeske is a licensed optometrist offering diabetic eye care to the Olympia and Lacey communities.
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