Preserve Your Vision With Bella Optical

Diabetic Retinopathy in Northwest Side

Preserve Your Vision With Bella Optical

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 Bella Optical 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, Bella Optical in Northwest Side 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 Northwest Side

Our optometry practice in Northwest Side

Photograph of Maribel Garcia Riley
Hours
  • Monday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Tuesday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Wednesday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Thursday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Friday 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed
  • Nov. 23 Closed
  • Dec. 25 Closed
Insurance Plans
  • VSP
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Aetna
  • Spectera
  • Medicaid
  • EyeMed
  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Blue Cross
  • 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
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284 Reviews
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- Sep. 22, 2023
I highly recommend Dr Amir and the friendly staff at Bella Optical. They are kind to my kids and alw... ays have been so warm and welcoming to everyone. 🙂
- Aug. 22, 2023
Update to first visit: New glasses ready in 8 business days. Fit well & progressive set correctly. ... Once again excellent support & service from staff. I'll be back! Original review: Had great first appointment here since my previous doc would not take my new insurance. Very friendly staff, focused doctor & Lynette was engaged & attentive to help me find glasses & prescription sunglasses. Generally good selection with designer names. Next test is how glasses fit since they are progressive lenses. A 14 business day wait to receive.
- Aug. 10, 2023
Continued great service!
- Jul. 23, 2023
My 4 daughters and I needed eye exams. I called Bella Optical to schedule the appointments and the l... ady I spoke to was super nice. The day of the appointments the staff were helpful and sweet. Our eye doctor was also very nice and answered all my questions. When it came time to pick our glasses we were not rushed and were able to find the right glasses for ourselves. I would definitely recommend Bella Optical on Huebner Road.
- May. 29, 2023
Excellent experience! Staff were friendly and professional, clean atmosphere, and they have specials... on services available.
- Apr. 21, 2023
Best eye care facility for glasses and contacts!
- Apr. 07, 2023
Amazing staff, great office, will be my regular doctor office from now on.
- Mar. 27, 2023
I had an appt roughly 12 days ago, and I must say the staff is amazing. They were all so helpful as... I have never worn glasses before, and the exam that let me see the interior of my eye was really cool. The doctor was very pleasant and patient with me and answered all of my questions in detail. The entire staff is wonderful, and now I am just waiting for my glasses to come in. The only hiccup is that I left 2 messages inquiring as to when my glasses would possibly arrive or if they had any update and I Never received a call back, other than that if you go anywhere else you are making a mistake trust me. I love it there.
- Mar. 17, 2023
Everyone was very friendly and professional.
- Mar. 09, 2023
Friendly staff and very helpful with explaining insurance benefits.
- Jan. 28, 2023
I've been a patient there for over 15 years, great service and knowledgeable, friendly staff.
- Jan. 06, 2023
Thanks to them I can see better and styling in a comfortable way
- Jan. 02, 2023
Amazing service and care provided. Professional and personable staff.
- Dec. 26, 2022
I've been going here for about two years now and they are the best hand down. Best quality. Best cus... tomer service. Everything is top tier.
- Dec. 17, 2022
My wife hates to have eye exams due to poor people persons from the eye doctors, but since I have ta... ken her here she has not given me any trouble about going she looks forward to visiting and that tells me a lot. I have been a client for 15 years that is how long I have been trying to get her to go.
- Dec. 02, 2022
I love the front office staff! They are always so kind and available to answer any questions. They a... re the reason I will not go anywhere else
- Nov. 22, 2022
My experience could not have been better at Bella Optical. Dr. Han and her staff were excellent and ... the optometric tech Analyce Camacho explained to me options in eyewear that no other eye vision center ever has. Bella Optical is defiantly my eye vision center and the one I will refer.
- Nov. 20, 2022
I always receive great, fast, and friendly service! The staff is wonderful!
- Nov. 12, 2022
They care about their customers they stay even if time for closing excellent work .Knowledgeable sta... ff,excellent service definitely will recommend family and friends.
- Nov. 11, 2022
Late review. My appointment was in July 2022. Honestly, I only went for an exam, but their profess... ionalism and customer service was A+. There was absolutely no way that I’d take my prescription somewhere else. While I may not remember everyone’s names, I do remember that they all paid attention to detail, they listened, and provided a lot of feedback to me. Every question I had was answered. I absolutely love my glasses. They match my personality. Lol. Also, the young lady who helped me pick out my glasses was so knowledgeable. So knowledgeable as if she made the glasses. I did my own research about the company and everything she stated was accurate. They even gave me some Godiva chocolates with my purchase. Everything was so thoroughly explained that I didn’t even have questions. My glasses arrived as scheduled. The service that they provided was so great that I wanted to speak to the manager. This place has the kind of employees that anyone would want to hire. I definitely would. Also, when I’ve called about a vision concern, they took the time to listen and provided feedback on the next steps. Thank you and I’ll see you again soon!

View All 284 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 Bella Optical in Northwest Side 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