We partner with your primary care doctor
If you have diabetes, a close partnership between your eye doctor and your primary care doctor goes far towards optimizing your long-lasting, quality vision. At Cove Eyecare, we work together with your physician to monitor your diabetes and share comprehensive reports about your eye health.
Who do you need on your diabetes healthcare team?
According to the American Diabetes Association, some significant members of your diabetes care team should include you, an endocrinologist or primary care doctor who specializes in diabetes, and an eye doctor.
As the patient, it is essential for you to monitor your blood sugar according to your physician’s instructions and to share this information with all members of your medical team. Your blood sugar levels provide critical details about how your diabetes treatment is working. Your primary care doctor will analyze your blood test results to design the best, personalized treatment program for you.
It is recommended to visit your eye doctor at least once a year for a comprehensive eye exam. During this exam, your eyes will be dilated in order to inspect for signs of diabetic eye disease on your inner eye tissues, such as diabetic retinopathy. Our Copperas Cove, Texas, optometrist is trained to perform precise diabetes eye exams, and our eye care clinic is equipped with precise technologies to ensure the early detection of a problem.
Why is it critical for your eye doctor to work together with your physician?
If our eye doctor identifies a problem, such as leakage from the blood vessels in your eyes, we will send a report to your primary care physician, who will use this information to determine if you require a different medication or treatment regimen for diabetes.
In fact, a change in your diabetes treatment that helps to improve blood sugar control can often slow the progression of early diabetic retinopathy. That’s why our Copperas Cove, Texas, eye doctor will monitor your eyes closely to alert your physician about the effects of your medical treatments.
In addition to watching out for the effects of high blood sugar on your eye health, your eye exam can also reveal the signs of other related health conditions that can damage vision. For example, if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, this can often be noticed during a comprehensive eye exam – and we will send a report to your primary care doctor so you can receive the medical treatments you need.
Remember, the earlier we detect a problem with your eyes, the earlier it can be treated… and the easier it is to prevent vision loss from diabetes!
