Eye Care High blood glucose and high blood pressure can damage the eyes in a number of ways. Regular diabetes eye care routine is important. Careful monitoring can do a lot to help delay or reduce complications, but it is important to be aware that diabetes is the largest cause of blindness in Canada. This is primarily due to retinopathy. Retinopathy is a general term for disorders of the retina at the back of the eye. Retinopathy may not cause vision loss in the early stages, but early damage to the retina can contribute to later complications. That’s why it’s so important for regular eye screenings to catch the condition quickly. The earlier that retinopathy is detected, the more successful the outcome is likely to be. Eye screening for retinopathy upon diagnosis of diabetes, and once a year after that is important. A special digital camera is used for the screening. The optometrist will also check your eyes for cataracts and glaucoma, which are also more common in people with diabetes.

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