Digital Imaging – New Addition
By: Dr. Paul V. Hamel

While the health and preventative benefits of a dilated exam are tremendous, the drops temporarily cause light sensitivity and blurry vision that can last up to 6 hours. Because of that, it is often (understandably) difficult for our patients to plan a dilation into their busy schedules. The retina is the nerve tissue lining the back of your eyes. Most of it is hidden when we do not dilate your eyes. It is the important tissue that catches light and transforms it into vision. While nothing can ever replace a good dilated exam, I’m excited to tell you about a new camera that we’ve acquired at the office! With this new invaluable, quick, and side-effect-free service, we can specifically target patients who require dilation, catch extremely subtle and early changes in otherwise healthy eyes, and create a template of your retina to compare with as you age. This is a new service that benefits all our patients from age 6 months to beyond! 
                     
The Retinal Imaging is cutting edge technology that we are recommending and incorporating as a routine addition to all eye exams. The instrument is a large camera that uses revolutionary photo technology to photograph your retina without a dilation. In the exam room, without a dilation, we see about 10-15 degrees of your retina at a time. The Digital Camera can record 45 or more degrees in the span of a snapshot. It documents your eyes as they are today and allows us to compare for subtle changes in the years to come. In addition, the DRI is able to separate the layers of tissue within your eye, information that is unavailable from dilation – and it does all this in a flash and without side effects that interrupt your work day. For those of you with pre-existing conditions (such as high prescriptions, sun damage, diabetes, hypertension, myasthenia gravis, glaucoma suspect, macular degeneration, etc), it will document and catch subtle changes within your eyes. For everybody else (and especially our patients with active lifestyles who chronically decline dilation), the Optomap will pick up holes, tears, tumors, detachments, and subtle changes in the your eyes – without a dilation. We believe that the DRI is important for everyone. We are one of the few offices in the area that have this New DRI technology. We are excited to introduce it to you (and show you the inside of your eyes) as we examine you this upcoming year.

Diabetes and Your Eye

In 2005, diabetes affected an estimated 7% of the US population and still ranked among the leading causes of blindness for ages 20-64 in the US. So if you have diabetes, how can it affect your eyes? Due to a lack of insulin or resistance to insulin’s effects, the cells in a diabetic’s body have a hard time absorbing and storing sugar. Therefore, sugars tend to remain in the bloodstream rather than being consumed by cells as fuel. When the blood is loaded with sugar, it become thicker and difficult to circulate, leading to impaired oxygen delivery and pooling within tissues. A diabetic’s prescription may change. They can develop a diabetic cataract, and fluid may build up near the central vision nerves. To compensate for less oxygen, sometimes the body may grow abnormal blood vessels. These weaker vessels easily burst and scar, leading to permanent vision loss. Hands down, the best way to prevent eye complications is to maintain a healthy and steady blood sugar level. And luckily, that is under the patient’s control! If you have diabetes or know someone that does, you must routinely check for diabetes within your eyes via an eye exam with dilation. The earlier you and your doctor catch any changes, the better treatment prognosis.