Preserve Your Vision With Family Vision Center - Rochester

Diabetic Retinopathy in Rochester

Preserve Your Vision With Family Vision Center - Rochester

(585) 427-0780

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

(585) 427-0780


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 Family Vision Center - Rochester 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, Family Vision Center - Rochester in Rochester 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 Rochester

Our optometry practice in Rochester

Photograph of Vadim  Guy
Hours
  • Monday 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
  • Tuesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Thursday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
  • Friday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed
  • Dec. 24 Closed
  • Dec. 25 Closed
  • Dec. 31 Closed
Insurance Plans
  • VSP
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Aetna
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Cigna
  • Anthem
  • Metlife
  • MVP Health Care
  • Excellus

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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- Feb. 28, 2023
Dr Outenen (?) is phenomenal. He explained my eye issue in layman’s terms and prescribed the perfe... ct remedy. My eyes feel better already. Thank you Dr Guy for having the best team!
- Feb. 16, 2023
Good quality eye care has always been super important to me. Always striving to have the best possib... le vision possible. The exams at Family Vision Center are so thorough. The doctors and opticians will work with you individually and help you figure out what the best option is for you whether it be contacts, glasses or both! I have never seen this clearly before in my life, it’s great! Highly recommend Family Vision Center and all of its doctors for all of your eye care needs!
- Oct. 13, 2022
Dr. Guy is Great! & the staff is wonderful .Highly recommend going to this practice for all your Eye... needs πŸ™‚
- May. 27, 2021
Warning: lengthy review! Before coming here, I saw the same eye doctor since I first got glasses in ... 2nd grade (I am 25 now). Although I loved my previous eye doctor, I decided to try a new office because I was treated poorly by the office staff there. I chose Dr. Guy based on the positive reviews on Google and I am so happy I did! The office staff is incredibly kind and helpful. Dr. Guy spent 2 hours with me at my first visit doing a complete glasses and contact exam plus dilation. I really felt like he did an extremely thorough exam and he patiently answered my questions and concerns. I was given two kinds of contacts to sample before choosing which ones I wanted. Then I worked with Valeriy to choose my glasses. I was willing to spend a high amount on these because I never buy full strength glasses due to my high prescription (-8.00 in both eyes). I always had trouble with minimizing facial distortion because my prescription is so awful, but Valeriy helped me choose the best frames and lenses to accommodate this issue (rounder frame and higher index digital lenses). For the first time in years I actually love how I look in glasses! Also, at my last office it used to take weeks for my glasses to come in because of the high prescription. Here, I got my glasses 5 days after picking them out and getting all the measurements done! My entire experience here was positive from start to finish and I am so happy I found them. Thank you all at Family Vision Center πŸ™‚
- Apr. 12, 2021
The place was nice. All the employees were great and treated me very well. I recommend this place to... everyone. Thanks to all of them.
- Feb. 22, 2021
Highly recommend. From the time I stepped into the Family Vision Center to when I was done, the staf... f was very nice and accommodating. Helped answer any questions I had. It was my first time getting glasses and the entire process was smooth. If you want top notch service and unbeatable prices, this is the place to be.
- Dec. 08, 2020
Excellent Eye Dr., and a first rate experience. I was recommended to this practice by an experience... d optician. Dr. Guy and his staff really came through. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a real eye doctor in Rochester.
- Jan. 28, 2020
All three of my children see Dr Guy. He explained everything clearly and took his time with each kid... do. The follow up report we needed was very thorough. Extremely happy with our visits!
- Jan. 02, 2020
My 10 yo son got ortho-K lenses at Family Vision Center in the summer of 2019. Dr. Guy is very profe... ssional and kind - my son introduced Dr. Guy as "the nicest doctor ever" to his little sister. He has been doing very well with the lenses and taking good care of them, thanks to good teaching and close follow-ups with Dr. Guy. I am very satisfied with the result and service so far. I personally think the cost is reasonable given multiple follow-ups with numerous eye exams, always with Dr. Guy. I also like that the clinic appointment is almost always readily available and very quick. He had been initially referred to the other vision clinic by his ophthalmologist which was the only place the doctor knew prescribing ortho-K lenses . However the earliest appointment was 5 months far with that eye clinic. I looked up every eye clinic website in Rochester and called the clinics which introduces ortho-K lenses on their homepage. I got to know FVC with the 4th or 5th call and made an appointment in 1 week. It is such a huge gap in waiting time almost made me feel dumb and unreal. FVC is probably one of the very few places in Rochester which serves ortho-K lenses now. I strongly recommend here if you're interested in the ortho-K lenses.
- Dec. 12, 2019
Very good service, keep it up. Thank you.
- Dec. 04, 2019
I visited this practice to follow up on how an old retina injury and get new classes. Everything was... very professional from the exam to receiving the glasses. Will be returning for any vision needs moving forward!
- Dec. 03, 2019
Absolutely enjoyable eye doctor business. Family owned by 2 brothers and their mother. Treat you r... espectfully, clean modern office space, amazing customer service. Recommended 100%πŸ€—πŸ€—πŸ€—πŸ€—πŸ€—πŸ€“πŸ€“πŸ€“πŸ€“πŸ€“πŸ€“
- Aug. 27, 2019
Very friendly and knowledgeable. Would absolutely recommend.
- Aug. 07, 2019
Had an awesome experience getting a way overdue eye exam. I was hesitant at first to do an eye dilat... ion exam but Dr. Guy and the staff took the time to explain to me the importance of having one done with my exam. My prescription was a perfect match for what I needed. The staff was really friendly and rally pleasant. I also really liked that I was able to fill out most of the necessary forms before my appointment from my phone. Definitely a time saver.
- Jul. 31, 2019
Wonderful and friendly staff, five stars all the way!
- Jul. 10, 2019
I recently got my sunglasses there and i am totally in love with them. I love coming there Dr Vadim ... Guy and his staff are amazing at what they do. I would recommend them to anyone who needs stylish glasses and grear quality too. Everyone is super friendly snd knowledge.
- Jun. 17, 2019
Wonderful staff and Doctors here. They take their time and make sure to meet your needs. even give f... asion advice when picking out glasses! I love mine, great quality, great style! Definitely worth the visit.
- Apr. 16, 2019
Very pleased with the selection of glasses! Found my favorite and I love them!! Such a pleasure to w... ork with!
- Mar. 12, 2019
I was not a eye glass wearer for most of my 59 years... Over the past few years I've gotten to a po... int where I need them. I tried a few other places before finding Family Vision. I just could not get used the glasses. My choices were to either wear something I couldn't get used to, or wear nothing and see nothing... All of the people at FVC were sincere in their efforts to help me find something that would work for me. I now have a pair of glasses I can both see and wear comfortably. I would recommend them to anyone - they were all very friendly and welcoming.
- Mar. 06, 2019
Great Doctor and Staff! I have been coming here for years, would recommend to anyone. They have a gr... eat selection of glasses as well!

View All 79 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 Family Vision Center - Rochester in Rochester 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.

(585) 427-0780