By Dr. E. Edward “Sandy” Carman
When was your last diabetic eye exam? People who have been diagnosed with diabetes should get a diabetic retinal screening at least once every 1 to 2 years (depending on your doctor’s recommendation), according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). If you have certain risk factors, including a diabetic eye disease diagnosis, or are pregnant, you may need to schedule your exams more often. At Thomas Eye Group in Atlanta, we can help determine the best diabetic retinal eye exam schedule for your eye health needs.
Type 2 diabetes usually develops over time, and as one’s blood sugar silently creeps higher, the small blood vessels in the back of the eyes can become damaged. This is called diabetic retinopathy, which is a condition that causes the blood vessels in the back of the eye to become weak and leaky.
In order to catch damage to the retina quickly, people who have been diagnosed with diabetes should get regular diabetic eye exams. Thankfully, scheduling a diabetic eye exam at Thomas Eye Group soon after being diagnosed can help find any current damage to the retina and establish a baseline for future visits.
Diabetic eye exams are different than your regular yearly eye exam because diabetic eye exams focus on detecting eye diseases first and assessing visual acuity second. Your yearly eye exam focuses on your visual acuity first and your eye health second.
Diabetic eye exams focus on detecting the signs of diabetic eye disease, including diabetic retinopathy and macular edema, before any changes in vision are noticed. When eye diseases are discovered early, steps can be taken to prevent vision loss. In the case of diabetic retinopathy, laser treatments, injections and surgery can be used to stop the blood vessels from leaking.
Comprehensive eye exams focus on visual acuity first, then common eye diseases, including glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration. If the person’s visual acuity isn’t 20/20 on the Snellen eye chart, corrective lenses are often prescribed, and if signs of eye health problems are detected, treatment plans are developed in order to slow or prevent vision loss.
If you’re wondering if your diabetic eye exam is covered under your health insurance or Medicare, the short answer is that it depends. Eye care appointments can be refractive or medical. If you don’t have any underlying health issues that could cause vision problems, your eye exam will most likely be refractive, meaning your exam will be billed to your vision coverage, if you have it. If you have a condition like diabetes, your diabetic eye exam may be covered under your medical insurance.
Those with Medicare will want to check their plans. Part B typically covers one diabetic eye exam every 12 months if the person has been diagnosed with diabetes. However, it’s important to note that you may have to pay your deductible before Medicare covers up to 80 percent of the cost of the exam. If you have additional Medicare coverages, you’ll want to check your plans to see if they’ll help cover any remaining costs for the diabetic eye exam.
If you simply want to lower costs, you could try visiting an eye clinic located in a retail store. However, they may not have the equipment or experience to diagnose and treat diabetic eye diseases. Eye care specialists and eye care specialists like Paul Kaufman and Sunir Joshi at Thomas Eye Group, do have the experience and equipment to diagnose and treat your diabetic eye disease so you can preserve your vision.
Diabetic eye exams usually take between 30 minutes and 2 hours. During these exams, your eyes will be dilated using eye drops. The drops can take anywhere from 15 minutes to 30 minutes to fully dilate your pupils. After that, our eye doctor at Thomas Eye Group will look at the back of your eye in order to determine if you have any damage to your retina, macula or optic nerve.
Once the eye exam has concluded, you may experience blurry vision and light sensitivity for up to six hours. For that reason, we recommend having someone else drive you to and from the appointment, like a family member, friend, ride-share service or taxi.
The warning signs of diabetic retinopathy can include blurry vision and dark spots or floaters, as well as changes in your visual acuity. If you start having difficulty reading or objects appear blurry, it’s imperative that you schedule an appointment with an experienced eye care specialist as soon as possible in order to prevent further deterioration of your visual acuity. If you decide to wait, you could suffer permanent vision loss.
If you’re looking for an experienced eye care specialist who can help you preserve your vision if you’ve been recently diagnosed with diabetes, Thomas Eye Group can help. We have multiple locations in and around Atlanta. If you need a diabetic eye exam or have noticed changes in your vision, schedule an appointment today.
E. Edward “Sandy” Carman, OD, is a board-licensed Comprehensive Optometrist. He offers a range of services including comprehensive eye exams with prescriptions for eyeglasses and contact lenses, and treatment of various ocular conditions such as dry eye disease, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic eye disease, among others.
