High blood sugar doesn’t hurt the way a stubbed toe does, but it can quietly chip away at your vision over time. In the early stages, your eyes may feel perfectly normal while tiny blood vessels in the retina are strained, swollen, or leaking. As November marks Diabetes Awareness Month, it is the ideal time to ensure your eyes receive the same careful monitoring as your A1C.
Patients often tell the team at Kosnoski Eye Care that they “see fine” and wonder if a diabetic eye exam is really necessary. The truth is that diabetic eye disease usually begins long before blurry vision, dark spots, or floaters appear. Let’s explore how a dedicated eye disease management plan helps you stay ahead of those hidden changes and protect the way you see your world.
Why Diabetes Puts Your Eyes At Risk
Diabetes affects the smallest blood vessels throughout the body, and the retina is full of these fragile pathways. Over time, elevated blood sugar can weaken the vessel walls so they bulge, leak, or close off completely. Your body tries to help by growing new vessels, but those new vessels tend to be delicate and prone to bleeding, setting the stage for diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.
Diabetes also increases your chances of developing cataracts earlier and raises your risk for glaucoma. That means your eye doctor isn’t just checking for one problem; they’re watching for multiple conditions that can work together to erode your vision. This is why people looking online for an “optometrist near me” who understands diabetes should look beyond a quick glasses check and make sure their exam includes thorough screening for all these issues.
Diabetic Eye Exams At Kosnoski Eye Care
Eye disease management at Kosnoski Eye Care is built around precise diagnosis and long-term partnership. The doctors use up-to-date technology to examine the front and back of your eyes, looking for even the smallest signs that diabetes is affecting your sight. They also consider how long you’ve had diabetes, your blood sugar control, other health conditions, and medications when tailoring your care plan.
If you live in Washington or the surrounding region, it’s reassuring to know you have a dedicated team focused on more than just “passing the eye chart.” With multiple locations across the area, you can choose the office that fits your routine and still receive consistent, coordinated diabetic eye care. Every visit adds another piece to your eye health story, helping your doctor spot trends and intervene sooner when something changes.
What To Expect During Your Visit
A diabetic eye exam is comfortable and detailed, with several important steps, such as:
- A conversation about your diabetes history, A1C trends, medications, and any changes in your vision or general health.
- A full check of your prescription to see how clearly you’re seeing at distance and near.
- A careful look at the front of the eye to watch for early cataracts or surface issues that might be linked to diabetes.
- Dilation and advanced imaging to examine the retina, macula, and optic nerve so your doctor can identify early diabetic retinopathy, macular swelling, or glaucoma.
These tests are quick, but they provide a detailed snapshot of how diabetes is affecting your eyes right now. Over time, your doctor compares images and exam findings from year to year, so even subtle changes are picked up before they become sight-threatening.
Managing Eye Diseases Linked To Diabetes
When diabetic eye disease is caught early, there are many ways to manage it. Your doctor may recommend more frequent monitoring, prescription eye drops, or lifestyle adjustments to support healthier blood vessels and fluid balance in the eye. If cataracts, advanced glaucoma, or severe diabetic retinopathy develop, the practice can coordinate care with trusted surgeons to provide laser treatments, injections, or surgery when needed.
The same diagnostic tools used to screen for disease also help guide these treatment decisions. Instead of reacting only when vision becomes blurry, your eye doctor can see where damage is starting and act sooner. For many patients, this proactive approach can mean more years of clear, comfortable vision—even after decades of living with diabetes.
Your Role Between Checkups
Eye disease management is a team effort, and you are a key part of that team. Keeping your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol close to your targets will support the work your eye doctor is doing. So will avoiding tobacco, staying active, and following your medical provider’s advice.
Between visits, pay attention to new floaters, hazy or distorted areas, sudden blur, or changes that affect just one eye. Any of these can be a reason to call sooner rather than waiting for your next routine exam. When you combine healthy habits with regular eye care, you are giving your vision the best possible chance.
Finding Diabetic Eye Care Near You
When you search for the “best eye doctor near me” for diabetes, you’re really looking for someone who understands that your eyes and overall health are deeply connected. A quick glasses check isn’t enough—you want a practice that routinely manages glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, and diabetic retinopathy under one roof. That kind of continuity is especially comforting when you know diabetes can silently change your eyes over time.
Because Kosnoski Eye Care offers comprehensive eye disease management across multiple offices in Washington , you don’t have to choose between convenience and expertise. Whether you’ve just been diagnosed with diabetes or have lived with it for many years, the team can adjust your exam schedule and testing based on your individual risk. You’ll walk away with more than a new prescription; you’ll have a clear plan for keeping your vision safer year after year.
Protect Your Sight This November And Beyond
Diabetes Awareness Month is a reminder that even “invisible” conditions can have a powerful impact on your daily life. Vision changes often arrive quietly, but the damage behind them may have been building for years. By committing to regular diabetic eye exams and ongoing eye disease management, you give yourself the best chance of catching problems early, when they’re usually easier to treat.
If you’re living with diabetes in Washington and haven’t had a dilated exam in a while, now is the perfect time to act. Schedule a visit with Kosnoski Eye Care at any of their five convenient locations in Federal Way, Puyallup, Kent, Renton, or Auburn. Call the office closest to you or request an appointment online, and step into November knowing your eyes are getting the focused attention they deserve.
Diabetes And Eye Health Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I have my eyes checked if I have diabetes?
- Most people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes need a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year, sometimes more often if early changes are found. Your doctor may recommend a customized schedule based on how long you’ve had diabetes, your control, and any existing eye findings.
I’m newly diagnosed and my vision seems fine. Can I wait a year?
- It’s best not to wait. Diabetic eye disease often begins without symptoms, so your first exam after diagnosis creates a baseline and checks for any damage that might already be present. Starting early also gives you and your doctor time to talk about prevention, not just treatment.
Will a regular glasses exam catch diabetic retinopathy?
- A basic vision screening is not enough. Diabetic eye exams involve dilation and detailed views and images of the retina and optic nerve to look for leaking vessels, swelling, or nerve damage. Be sure to tell the office you have diabetes when you book, so they schedule the right type of visit.
Can I get diabetic eye care if I’m already seeing another doctor for my diabetes?
- Absolutely. Your eye doctor and medical doctor play different but complementary roles in protecting your health. When you schedule care in Washington , the eye care team can coordinate with your primary care provider or endocrinologist to keep everyone on the same page.