Preserve Your Vision With ABBA Eye Care - Gunnison

Diabetic Retinopathy in Gunnison

Preserve Your Vision With ABBA Eye Care - Gunnison

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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


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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 ABBA Eye Care - Gunnison 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, ABBA Eye Care - Gunnison in Gunnison 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 Gunnison

Our optometry practice in Gunnison

Photograph of David  Robbins
Hours
  • Monday 8:30 am - 6:00 pm
  • Tuesday 8:30 am - 6:00 pm
  • Wednesday 8:30 am - 6:00 pm
  • Thursday 8:30 am - 6:00 pm
  • Friday 8:30 am - 6:00 pm
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed
Insurance Plans
  • VSP
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Aetna
  • Spectera
  • Medicaid
  • Anthem
  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • EyeMed
  • 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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186 Reviews
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- Mar. 12, 2024
ABBA Eyecare is the best!
- Mar. 02, 2024
Dr. Robbins made time for me when I had metal in my eye from my welding work. He got the metal out,... and cleaned out the rust like a pro. Can’t thank him and his wonderful staff enough
- Feb. 12, 2024
Friendly environment, 100% professional staff, excellent selection of eye ware
- Feb. 09, 2024
Great service and great Prices! Awesome experience once again!!
- Jan. 30, 2024
Professional workplace. A very well run practice!
- Jan. 07, 2024
Wonderful people and great new glasses! Lots to choose from!
- Nov. 28, 2023
Dr. Robbins and the entire staff are extremely kind, helpful and thorough. I have had a great experi... ence each time, from regular eye exams to purchasing eye glasses.
- Sep. 15, 2023
Great doctor & staff!
- Sep. 07, 2023
They took the time to discuss the condition of my eyes, as well as taking the time to check in with ... me as a person. Good luck finding that at a Lens Crafters or larger national outfit! Couldn’t recommend them enough.
- Jul. 26, 2023
Staff were very friendly, and did a great job of explaining the procedures and results in a way that... was easy to understand.
- Jun. 19, 2023
Dr. Robbins and his staff are great. The Dr. Is knowledga and friendly. The staff too is friendly an... d helpful. Once you're with them you're in very capable hands. Just make sure you're talking with them and not "corporate", since ABBA is corporately owned. Do not trust the online appointment system. Make your appointment directly with the Gunnison office-- the first person who answes the phone for appointments will be corporate-- not Gunnison. I highly recommend Dr. Robbins and his staff, but the ownership situation can lead to confusion. Corporate also could stand to put some money into the outside of the Gunnison office. It has always been so cute, but is looking rundown. They've done a good job with the interior, so it's a pleasant surprise compared to the walk up. I'm rating a 5 for the Dr. and staff because they deserve it, but as you can guess, if I was rating their ownership my rating would go down.
- Jun. 17, 2023
Love Love Love Dr Dave
- Jun. 05, 2023
Dr Robbins is extremely knowledgeable and every staff member is so friendly and helpful
- Apr. 15, 2023
Outstanding care!
- Feb. 27, 2023
Dr. Dave and his staff were life savers!!!! My wife and I traveled from Crested Butte and they got u... s right in and out, with smiles on their faces!! The doc was a plethora of information regarding my wife’s corneal abrasion and effectively treated her, enough for us to continue with our vacation!!! The entire experience was professional and efficient!! We would recommend over and over!!!
- Feb. 16, 2023
Great eye doctor office. Professional and courteous and everything was on schedule.
- Feb. 10, 2023
Great place! Nice lady repaired my mangled glasses at no charge. Good selection of glasses& shades. ... Highly recommend!
- Jan. 19, 2023
One of the best eye doctors I've been to in my 30 years of needing corrective vision. Dr. Robbins ta... kes the time to explain the details behind what they are checking for and provides several recommendations to address symptoms in the least expensive way.
- Jan. 18, 2023
Dr. Robbins ("Dave") and the ABBA staff treat their patients with kindness and respect. Lettie was v... ery friendly and helpful! The technology they employ is truly amazing. I'm always pleased when a medical office runs appointments in a timely manner and they do. I highly recommend ABBA Eyecare.
- Jan. 16, 2023
Extremely friendly & helpful!

View All 186 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 ABBA Eye Care - Gunnison in Gunnison 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