Remote Retinopathy Screening
Charlotte, North Carolina
A person with diabetes is at increased risk for eye disease.
Glaucoma
is more likely to develop, and cataracts
can develop at an earlier age than in the general population. Besides these two
diseases, both of which can cause blindness, diabetics are also susceptible to
problems on the retina known as diabetic retinopathy.
What is the Retina?
The retina is a tissue of light-sensitive cells at the back
of the eye. Light enters the eyes carrying image information, and these cells
convert the image energy to neural energy. The optic nerve connects to the
retina, and carries this neural energy to the brain’s vision center at the back
of the head. This is how we see what we are focusing on, and know what it is.
Diabetic Retinopathy
The eyes are nourished by tiny blood vessels which bring
oxygen and nutrients, and carry away waste products. After a person has had
diabetes for about ten years, it will often start to weaken these little
capillaries in the retina, causing them to leak. Trying to restore full blood
flow, the eyes grow new blood vessels, but they are abnormal and also leak.
Horizon EyeRoute
All this can be seen on the retina with a good eye
examination. Horizon Eye Care offers an excellent amenity called Horizon
EyeRoute. If you have diabetes and see your diabetes doctor regularly, you can
have him take a digital retinal photo of each eye, without dilating the pupils.
Those images will be sent through a secure connection to the
Horizon EyeRoute reading center. One of our highly-qualified ophthalmologists
will interpret them and send a report to your diabetes doctor. The camera is a
specialized color camera and the images will show the optic nerve, blood
vessels, and the retina – in particular, the central retinal area called the
macula. This is where direct central vision happens, and if there is damage
there, your eyesight is in danger.
Superior Diabetes Monitoring
With these photos as a baseline, your diabetes can be
monitored more effectively as it relates to your eyes. Your diabetes doctor can
take a photo each time you visit, and this will provide your eye doctor at
Horizon Eye Care with up-to-date information. It also saves you some time, as
you would not need to come to our office to get these photos taken.
However, an annual eye exam is important for all diabetics.
Remote retinopathy screening is for diabetic retinopathy only, and there are
other diseases which should be caught early to protect your vision, such as glaucoma
and cataracts.
Our diabetic eye disease
ophthalmologists are:
Miriam
E. Ridley, MD
Strutha
C. Rouse II, MD
Frederick
H.D. Weidman III, MD
Please call or email
our office in Charlotte, North Carolina, if you would like to schedule a
personal consultation. Our eye doctors are always happy to answer questions and
explain how things work. They can help you keep your eyesight healthy and
minimize the complications that diabetes might cause for you.
