Diabetic Retinopathy is the name of the blood vessel changes that usually occur without symptoms. Diabetic Retinopathy is the most common cause of blindness in the U.S. in patients under sixty. No matter what type of diabetes you have, you may develop diabetic retinopathy. If you have diabetes, you may have retinopathy now or you may develop it in the future. Factors that may lead to this eye condition include:

• High glucose (blood sugar) levels
• High blood pressure
• How long you've had diabetes
• Family health history

It is important to know that vision loss from Diabetic Retinopathy can almost always be prevented by early diagnosis and laser treatment.

Flashes & Floaters - at the first sign of flashes or new floaters you should contact your ophthalmologist immediately. There may be an underlying condition.

What are Flashes?
Perhaps you have seen flashes of light, stars, or streaks that aren't really there. A few of these flashes are seen by everyone from time to time. Usually you see them in one eye at a time. Flashes are most often caused by the vitreous (the gel filling the inside of your eye) pulling on the retina (a membrane that lines the inside of your eye). Flashes that are recurrent, frequent or new need to be evaluated.

What are Floaters?
Floaters look like dark specks, clouds, threads, or spider webs moving through your vision. They are seen once in a while by most people. Floaters may be pieces of gel or other material floating inside your eye and are usually harmless unless they are new and then need to be evaluated.