Preserve Your Vision With Crown Vision Center - O' Fallon

Diabetic Retinopathy in O'Fallon

Preserve Your Vision With Crown Vision Center - O' Fallon

Schedule Eye Exam

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


Give Your Eyes the Care They Deserve

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.


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
  • Dec. 25 Closed
Insurance Plans
  • VSP
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Aetna
  • Spectera
  • Medicaid
  • Anthem
  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • MetLife

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.
Patient Reviews
4.7
167 Reviews
5
4
3
2
1
- 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. 18, 2022
The friendly professionalism by staff, the thorough comprehensive exam with a complete explanation. ... Very comfortable and trusted! Dr.McCoy is keeping care as Dr.K had it, trusted!
- May. 27, 2022
I have gone to this location for several years and am very pleased. The doctors have been excellent ... and everyone else that works there are very kind and helpful.
- May. 23, 2022
The doctors are honest and they won’t recommend a prescription unless it’s needed. I’m also t... hrilled with the optometrists. My daughter and I both had issues with our glasses.
- Mar. 11, 2022
Very accurate Rx for these old eye. Staff did not push an expensive frame and lens package. Received... glasses within one week. Will continue to get exam and glasses from Crown Optical which I just began using 2 years ago.
- Feb. 25, 2022
Awesome Staff, Very helpful and knowledable.
- Oct. 29, 2021
My Grandson and I both needed glasses, and he's a first time contact wearer. When my grandson was tr... ying to put his contacts in, he had a very hard time. The ladies at Crown Vision were so very patient with him, I think it took him somewhere around 3 hours the first time, and almost 2 hours the next morning. They never made us feel as if we were taking up to much of their time. They were so patient and friendly and tried so many different ways to help him. We had to meet them at Crown Vision on Midrivers mall drive the next morning for extra practice, because he still couldn't get them in. The ladies continued to be patient , helpful and encouraging , and showed him many different ways to try. After trying so many times, he was finally able to get them in. He almost gave up, but their assurance and encouragement made him keep trying. My Grandson is a Rugby player, so it is very important that he wears these during games. It's very hard to find this type of service, but these ladies are exceptional, and I recommend them and Crown Vision (Ofallon) for anyone needing extra attention. They were the definition of 5 Star.
- Sep. 03, 2021
Good Staff. Very efficent
- Jul. 07, 2021
I worked for the parent company of Crown Vision Centers, AEG, in their remote, outbound call group f... rom April until June. My job was to make appointments for others to various CVCs in the Saint Louis metro area. My wife and I were long overdue for our eye exam appointments, so I scheduled both of us before I recently changed jobs. I went to my appointment this past Saturday, and my wife also went recently to her appointment. I was thoroughly impressed with the friendliness, helpfulness and professionalism of everyone who I met that day: Riley, Hannah, and Dr. John! It was a great experience as a first-time customer, and I highly recommend the O'Fallon CVC!
- Apr. 20, 2021
Love Crown vision!
- Mar. 20, 2021
Staff is friendly and helpful. DrMcCoy was informative about the testing. I will continue to go here... and recommend.

View All 167 Reviews

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.


blood sugaer level testing kit

Have diabetes?

Early detection and timely treatment can prevent vision loss.

Schedule Eye Exam