Preserve Your Vision With Crown Vision Center - O' Fallon

Diabetic Retinopathy in O'Fallon

Preserve Your Vision With Crown Vision Center - O' Fallon

(636) 281-5367

Have diabetes?

Experiencing changes in vision, such as blurriness and eye floaters?

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the leading causes of vision loss around the world. Of an estimated 285 million people with diabetes mellitus worldwide, approximately one-third have signs of diabetic retinopathy.

Fortunately, there are several steps people with diabetes can take to prevent or minimize vision loss.

Blood sugar level check


What Is Diabetic Retinopathy?

noraml eye and an eye with  diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease caused by high blood sugar levels that damage the small blood vessels clustered within your retina. This leads to swelling or fluid leakage and can result in vision loss and even blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy also raises the risk of retinal detachment and/or glaucoma.

Because the early stages of diabetic retinopathy show no symptoms, many don't realize they have it until the disease has progressed.

If you have diabetes, you are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. To reduce your risk and protect your vision, schedule an eye exam with Crown Vision Center - O' Fallon today.


What Are the Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy?

diabetic-retinopothy-oct-scan

As mentioned above, the early phase of diabetic retinopathy typically shows no symptoms. This is why it's important to have routine eye exams (all the more so if you have diabetes), as your eye doctor can detect diabetic retinopathy in its earlier stages before symptoms become apparent.

Symptoms of proliferative diabetic retinopathy include:
  • Blurred vision
  • Floaters
  • Double vision
  • Near vision problems
  • Seeing dark spots (scotomas)
  • Difficulty seeing at night

What are the Stages of Diabetic Retinopathy?

Non-Proliferative Retinopathy (early stage):
This occurs when small bulges–or microaneurysms–form in blood vessels and can leak fluid into the retina.

Proliferative Retinopathy (later phase):
This refers to abnormal vessel growth and leakage in the retina. This triggers a variety of vision problems such as blurriness, reduced field of vision, and even blindness.

If you have diabetes, Crown Vision Center - O' Fallon in O'Fallon offers diagnostic tests and treatment options to help preserve your vision. The earlier the diagnosis, the better the treatment outcome.

Diabetic-Retinopathy-Bllod-sugar-level-checker


How Optometrists Diagnose Diabetic Retinopathy

  • Medical history

    Your optometrist will ask about your medical history, including diabetes, as well as your family history of eye conditions.

  • Dilated pupil exam

    Your optometrist will apply eye drops to dilate the pupils so they can see inside the eye and detect any issues.

  • Fluorescein angiography

    This eye test uses a special dye and camera to look at blood flow in the retina and choroid.

  • Optical coherence tomography

    This imaging method shows a cross-section of the retina and can indicate whether vessels are leaking fluid into the retina.


How to Treat Diabetic Retinopathy

senior man with diabetic retinopathy

Treatment begins with managing blood sugar levels and diabetes. This means eating a healthy diet, increasing physical activity, and taking whatever diabetes medication has been prescribed.

Other treatments will depend on the stage or severity of the disease. If caught early, only blood sugar management may be necessary.

However, if you're in a more advanced stage of the diseases, treatment options may include:
  • Eye medications. Steroid and Anti-VEGF treatments can stop inflammation and prevent the formation of new blood vessels.
  • Laser surgery. Reduces the proliferation of abnormal blood vessels and swelling in the retina.
  • Vitrectomy. If you have proliferative diabetic retinopathy, you may need an eye surgery called vitrectomy. This procedure removes scar tissue, blood or fluid, and some of the vitreous gel so light rays can better focus on the retina.

Diabetic Retinopathy FAQs

What are the major risk factors for diabetic retinopathy?

As the name suggests, diabetes is the main risk factor for developing diabetic retinopathy. Be mindful of your family history of type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, get an annual eye exam to detect potential problems early.

Other conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol are also risk factors. Moreover, those of African or Hispanic descent have a higher risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.

Can diabetic retinopathy be prevented?

There are a number of ways to preserve your vision and reduce the risk of vision and eye damage due to diabetic retinopathy.

  • Visit your eye doctor for annual eye exams.
  • Control your blood sugar levels.
  • Maintain healthy cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
  • Exercise regularly.
  • Quit smoking.

The best thing you can do right now is to schedule your eye exam with Crown Vision Center - O' Fallon in O'Fallon to ensure that everything is in check.

Does diabetic retinopathy cause blindness?

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the main causes of blindness among work-aged adults. It affects one in three people with diabetes and often goes unnoticed at first. Diagnosing and treating the condition early on can prevent severe vision loss.


Meet our Diabetic Retinopathy Specialist

Patient Reviews
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194 Reviews
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- Sep. 05, 2024
We are very please with the level of care and service received.
- Jul. 12, 2024
Knowledgeable, friendly staff. Dr is awesome.
- Jul. 10, 2024
Staff was very friendly and helpful and Dr McCoy explained everything and answered all my questions
- Jun. 12, 2024
Dr. McCoy was so helpful and explained everything about my exam. Saw that I needed a Cornea Speciali... st and gave a referral. Very professional and knowledgeable.
- Jun. 11, 2024
Dr. Matthew has been a life saver. He not only diagnosed the problem that's been bothering me for a ... year, but he also put me on the right path for treatment. Feels nice to be getting my life back. He's thorough, explains things well and overall just a good guy. Plus the ladies at the front are always so nice. I do not want to go anywhere else!
- Apr. 15, 2024
Great experience
- Apr. 15, 2024
Excellent treatment
- Mar. 12, 2024
Dr. McCoy is amazing. He goes through all your tests and explains what he is looking for and explain... s everything to you. Hannah is amazing! She is extremely patient when you are looking for that perfect pair of glasses and she is extremely knowledgeable. Will recommend them to anyone.
- Dec. 30, 2023
Dr. McCoy is very knowledgeable and thorough. The staff is friendly and professional. The location i... s convenient. Highly recommend!
- Nov. 12, 2023
Everything was perfect. First time visiting this one and was actually fun experience. Staff was supe... r nice and there was few minutes wait which made interesting listening party next door in their cooking class 🤣🤣 Really wanted to go there after my eye exam.
- Aug. 25, 2023
Dr. McCoy is An Amazing doctor! Such a great doctor plus so explains everything so well! Highly reco... mmend him!!
- Aug. 22, 2023
Excellent professional service and offered savings compared to other places I've experienced.
- Aug. 19, 2023
My recent visit with Dr. McCoy and his staff was exceptional! My older brother is blind and I am con... ditioned by media to fear lifestyle limiting conditions such as cataracts and macular degeneration. Both the technician and Dr. McCoy greeted me with confident smiles, gentle manners and addressed my concerns with straight forward explanations. Dr. McCoy was thorough, precise and exacting. There wasn't anything about my vision that he didn't check out. The office imaging technology was terrific and so easy to do! Being able to view the retina images of my eyes on a screen as Dr. McCoy explained put me at ease.
- Aug. 04, 2023
Knowledge staff were very helpful and informative. No wait time and worth my drive out there from St... l city.
- Jul. 08, 2023
Everyone I saw and interacted with were very friendly, knowledgeable and professional.
- Jul. 01, 2023
My husband and I recently had our routine eye exams with Dr. McCoy and had a great experience! There... was little wait time, the technician who did our testing was very nice, and Dr. McCoy was thorough and answered any questions we had. Looking forward to our eye exam next year!
- May. 22, 2023
Dr. McCoy and his technicians are very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. I also love the wide se... lection of frames they offer. The office itself if very comfortable and visually appealing. (no pun intended).
- Feb. 24, 2023
Lovely experience. The staff and doctor were very kind and knowledgeable, and I didn't feel pressure... d into buying more than I needed.
- Jan. 19, 2023
Excellent, caring service and a good value. Will continue to go here for all of our vision needs. ... Staff was especially attentive to special need requests.
- Jun. 26, 2022
I had a concern about my vision and it wasn't time for my annual check up The staff helped me get an... appointment right away. The ladies up front are friendly courteous, and helpful. The doctor did not make me feel rushed during the exam. He answered by questions and took time to ensure I thoroughly understood the next steps. Everyone is friendly, courteous, and respectful. The facilities are clean and orderly. Altogether, the staff made sure that my visit was a success.

View All 194 Reviews

Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosis & Treatment in O'Fallon

Our optometry practice in O'Fallon

Photograph of Matthew  McCoy
Hours
  • Monday 10:00 am - 7:00 pm
  • Tuesday 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Wednesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Thursday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Saturday 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
  • Sunday Closed
Insurance Plans
  • VSP
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Aetna
  • Spectera
  • Medicaid
  • Anthem
  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • MetLife

blood sugaer level testing kit

Have diabetes?

Early detection and timely treatment can prevent vision loss.

(636) 281-5367