Diabetic retinopathy
is best treated and managed with early detection and diagnosis. This can be
especially important for children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. The earlier we
can detect and diagnose the diabetic eye problems, the better we can prepare to
help prevent vision loss. Most often diabetic retinopathy is diagnosed during a
dilated exam of the retina during an eye exam. However, we also have a very
sensitive non-invasive “kid friendly” imaging system in our office called
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) that can help us detect the very earliest
types of changes from diabetes-even before they might be visible during a
dilated retinal exam.
According to a clinical study reported in the
journal Ophthalmic
Surgery, Laser and Imaging Retina Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus causes and degenerative effect
on certain nerve cells in the retina even before the breakdown of blood vessels
occurs with diabetic retinopathy. From this research, it is thought that OCT
may be more useful than just a dilated retinal exam in kids with Type 1 Diabetes
Mellitus.
If you or someone you know has a child or
young adult with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, please make sure they are having
regular eye exams but also know that we might perform an OCT as part of their
care. If you have questions or wish to schedule an appointment please call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in
Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract
Center,
Google+ or www.facebook.com/alabamaeyeandcataractcenter.
