Did you know diabetes can lead to permanent vision loss?

According to the CDC, 29.7 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with diabetes. 97.6 million people over the age of 18 have prediabetes. At Neighborhood Health Center, just over 11% of our patient population has a diagnosis of type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Over time, diabetes can damage blood vessels in the heart, kidneys and nerves, which can lead to higher risk of health problems including heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Diabetes can also cause permanent vision loss by damaging blood vessels in the eyes. This is where diabetic retinal exams (DREs) come in. 

Full comprehensive diabetic retinal exams are a painless procedure involving a vision care specialist dilating a patient’s eyes with eye drops and using special lenses to look at the back of a patient’s eye for signs of diabetic retinopathy. 

Since the launch of vision care services at Neighborhood Health Center Riverway (1569 Niagara Street) in June, Neighborhood optometrist Dr. Melina Perez has performed 197 full comprehensive DREs. Dr. Perez said these screenings can be a wake up call for some patients to begin advocating for themselves in their own health journey. 

“Glucose levels could be relatively normal, but it doesn’t always translate to what is going on with a patient’s eye health,” said Dr. Perez. “That's why it is important for every patient that is diabetic to get this screening done.”

Since many vision care centers are private practices, it is often difficult for patients of other languages to access vision care, to communicate their concerns with their providers, or to completely understand the care they are receiving. Since Neighborhood works with a language line to provide real time translations for patients and providers, Dr. Perez is able to communicate with her patients and help them advocate for their health goals, regardless of what language they speak.