Having local eye doctors is important for so many reasons. The doctors at Elmquist Eye Group are conveniently located in Fort Myers and Cape Coral for all your eye care needs. Having an annual comprehensive eye examination is important, so if it has been a while, schedule your exam with us today.

Our local eye doctors detect diseases like diabetes, glaucoma and macular degeneration during these comprehensive eye exams. Diabetes can do damage to your eyes before you even really know it, and although over four million Americans have glaucoma, less than half know they do. Most of these diseases have no symptoms, which is why a thorough dilated eye exam is so very important, particularly if you are over age 60.

We understand that some patients don’t like their eyes dilated. After all, you may experience temporary blurred vision and light sensitivity. However, these symptoms are only temporary and it is so much more important for our local eye doctors to understand what is going on with your eyes.

Dry Eye and Diabetes

We also diagnose and treat other conditions like dry eye. We can offer treatment services in both our Fort Myers and Cape Coral locations. Again, a comprehensive eye exam is the best way to help determine whether you have dry eye and what the severity is. Dry eye is a disease of the surface of the eye. We can prescribe artificial tears to help lubricate the eyes to maintain moisture.

Unfortunately, diabetes is on the rise across the globe. In the United States, diabetes is the number one cause of blindness, which surprises many of our patients. If you have diabetes, did you know that you are 25 times more likely to lose your vision? This is because diabetes causes damage to the blood vessels in the eyes. The vessels begin to leak due to the damage, and that leakage can cause vision loss.

Just remember – 25 times more likely. This data from the American Academy of Ophthalmology is startling, so we recommend that you come visit us for a full eye exam as soon as you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes. We also recommend that you get a detailed eye exam at least once per year so that we can perform a thorough dilated-eye retinal exam to check for any diabetic complications.

Anyone who has diabetes is at risk for developing diabetic retinopathy, but just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you will. The key is proper eye care. In fact, 95 percent of people with retinopathy can avoid vision loss with proper, timely treatment. When diabetic retinopathy is at its early stages, patients don’t recognize it because there is little to no change in vision. Therefore, if you have diabetes and it has been a while since you’ve had a dilated eye exam, please call our office to schedule this important appointment.