Preserve Your Vision With Heller EyeCare

Diabetic Retinopathy in Wilmington

Preserve Your Vision With Heller EyeCare

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 Heller EyeCare 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, Heller EyeCare in Wilmington 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 Wilmington

Our optometry practice in Wilmington

Photograph of Suraj S.  Afshar
Hours
  • Monday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Tuesday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Wednesday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
  • Thursday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Friday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed
  • Nov. 23 Closed
  • Dec. 25 Closed
Insurance Plans
  • VSP
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Aetna
  • Spectera
  • Davis Vision
  • Medicaid
  • Anthem
  • EyeMed
  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Blue Cross
  • MetLife
  • Mass General Brigham Health Plan

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
4.9
45 Reviews
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- Sep. 13, 2023
I had a good experience with all the staff I met at my recent visit as they were friendly and fully ... answered all questions I had.
- Aug. 11, 2023
Best care around
- Jul. 13, 2023
Very friendly, professional and knowledgeable!
- Jul. 07, 2023
Professional, friendly, knowledgeable, and easy to work with. Dr Afshar and staff are an absolute p... leasure!
- Jun. 12, 2023
Very friendly and caring staff. I highly recommend !!
- Jun. 08, 2023
Love Dr Marron-Curdo. Very knowledgeable clinician. Started years ago with her when my young son nee... ded glasses and he was very comfortable with her! Now I go and enjoy a pleasant office experience!
- Feb. 16, 2022
Kind people.
- Jan. 13, 2022
I had an incredible experience with Dr. Afshar, and I am so glad I found this office. I am extremely... nearsighted and have astigmatism, and my previous Optometrist (of about 25 years) has only been able to correct my vision to 20/40 for as long as I can remember, but my vision with contacts was still never crisp or totally clear. He recommended I try to find a doctor who specializes in hard contact lenses, so I decided to get a second opinion. I saw Dr. Afshar today and am so impressed by his knowledge and experience. He is EXTREMELY kind and understanding and so patient when answering questions. I never felt rushed at all. The technology he uses seems to be light-years ahead of what I’m used to, and I actually cried happy tears when he told me I was reading letters from the 20/25 line. I feel as though he genuinely wants to help me achieve the best possible vision, and I haven’t felt that way in a long time. I am so appreciative and so excited to finally be able to see the world around me in better detail. Thank you so much, Dr. Afshar!
- Apr. 08, 2021
I went in for an appointment and it was so smooth! I got my contacts delivered to my door before I e... ven ran out of the sample pairs Dr. Afshar gave me. The optician was also incredibly easy to work with and I was really happy they had almost every eyeglass frame trend for Spring/Summer that I've seen online.
- Sep. 02, 2020
I need an eye exam with a short notice and the secretary at Heller Eyecare manages to provide me a s... lot even though their regular schedule is full. What impresses me even more is the service they provide. The secretary, technician and eye doctor are all fantastic! Great job!
- May. 20, 2020
Dr afshar personal yet professional.. great experience every time I go
- Jan. 13, 2020
The best optometrist we’ve been to! They go out of their way to accommodate and helped find the be... st glasses for my daughter. Her glasses were under warranty when they broke, but we had moved out of state and Heller still made sure we got her new frames and swapped out her lenses and sent them to us! I’m sad to have moved because we were always very pleased with their friendly service and the way they always put their patients first.
- Dec. 31, 2019
This is a wonderful practice. I stumbled upon it while looking for a contact lens exam close to my ... house. Dr. Suraj Afshar is kind, professional, knowledgeable about all things eye, and genuinely wants to help you. I was blown away by this last quality. He truly went above and beyond to find a brand of contacts I was comfortable wearing. When I got home, my husband decided to also make an appointment and he had a very similar experience. Cannot recommend this place enough and so happy we've found a great spot down the street for all of our eye care needs. Look no further!
- Oct. 18, 2019
This morning I had an excellent experience with Dr. Suraj Afshar. He is highly informed and made my ... trip to the doctor as painless as possible! No pressure to buy anything, highly consultative. I'd recommend Heller Eyecare to all of my friends and family in need of primary care.
- Jun. 18, 2019
State of the art care. No drops in the eyes...no driving home with sun glasses and blurry vision. Mo... re than that you get a complete understanding of the "health" of your eyes. Highly recommended.
- Oct. 11, 2018
Wonderful practice! Very thorough and really listen to what we need! Both Drs. Fantastic. Always ... looking for ways for me to save money too!
- Aug. 24, 2018
I love the staff, I love the doctors, always amazing service and great selection of glasses! Highly ... recommended!
- Mar. 01, 2018
Omg this place is the best great staff great doctors sorry i only get to visit once a year!!
- Nov. 17, 2017
All of Heller Eyecare’s professionals provide knowledgeable, patient, friendly service and quality... care that you can rely on. An all-around pleasant experience every time!
- Oct. 02, 2017
Dr. Marron is terrific, very nice and very thorough , !!

View All 45 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 Heller EyeCare in Wilmington 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