If you have diabetes, an annual comprehensive eye exam is one of the most important appointments on your calendar. Diabetes can quietly damage the tiny blood vessels in your retina long before you notice any change in your vision — and catching it early is what protects your sight.
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults, and its most dangerous feature is that it often has no early symptoms. By the time vision blurs, significant damage may already be underway. This is precisely why we do not wait for symptoms — we go looking.
During a diabetic eye exam we dilate your pupils to get a wide, clear view of the retina and its blood vessels, looking for tiny leaks, swelling, and abnormal vessel growth. We also use OCT retinal imaging, which captures detailed cross-sections of the retina and lets us detect and track subtle changes over time — the kind the eye is otherwise very good at concealing.
We can also coordinate with your primary care doctor or endocrinologist, because your eyes and your blood sugar are very much a team.
When diabetic eye disease is caught early, treatment is highly effective at preserving vision. The single best thing you can do is keep that yearly exam — even in years when your eyes feel perfectly fine. Call our Myrtle Beach office at (843) 796-1155 to schedule yours.
Yes — absolutely. Early diabetic retinopathy typically causes no symptoms at all, so a yearly dilated exam is the only reliable way to catch it in time.
For diabetic patients, dilation (often paired with retinal imaging) gives us the thorough view we need, so it is usually part of the visit.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Jason Siegmund, OD, a board-certified optometric physician at Siegmund Eye Care in Myrtle Beach.
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