Home › Specialities › Retina and diabetic eye › Diabetic eye check-up

Diabetic eye check-up in Vasco, Goa: what it checks and how often

Diabetes is very common in Goa. The ICMR-INDIAB study (2023) found diabetes in 26.4% of adults in the state, one of the highest rates in India. A national survey of diabetic eye disease (2015-19) found diabetic retinopathy in nearly one in five people with diabetes aged 50 and above in North Goa, and sight-threatening disease in about one in sixteen. Most of these people had not noticed anything wrong. That is the reason for a yearly diabetic eye check-up: it finds damage while there is still time to protect your sight. For an overview of retina care, see retina and diabetic eye care in Vasco.

Why do people with diabetes need eye check-ups?

Diabetes can affect almost every part of the eye:

• Diabetic retinopathy: damage to the small blood vessels of the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye.
• Diabetic macular oedema: swelling at the centre of the retina, which blurs reading and fine vision.
• Earlier cataract: the eye's natural lens clouds sooner in people with diabetes; see cataract surgery for people with diabetes.
• Glaucoma: some kinds are more common with diabetes.
• Changing spectacle power: high or unsteady sugar can make the lens swell for a while.
• Double vision: diabetes can affect the nerves that move the eyes.

Early diabetic retinopathy does not hurt and usually does not blur vision. You can see perfectly and still have changes that need watching or treatment.

Who needs a diabetic eye check-up, and when should the first one be?

• Type 2 diabetes: soon after diagnosis. Type 2 diabetes can be present for years before it is found, so the retina may already show changes.
• Type 1 diabetes: usually within a few years of diagnosis, as the eye doctor or physician advises, and then regularly.
• Diabetes before pregnancy: if you had diabetes before you became pregnant, have an eye check early in the pregnancy, because retinopathy can get worse during pregnancy. The eye doctor will advise how often to come.
• Children with diabetes: as advised by their doctor, usually from around puberty or a few years after diagnosis.

What happens at a diabetic eye check-up at ReNew Vision?

1. Your history. How long you have had diabetes, how it is treated, your recent sugar and HbA1c results, your blood pressure, kidney and cholesterol reports, and any eye symptoms.
2. Vision test. Each eye is tested for distance and near.
3. Spectacle power, if needed. New spectacles are prescribed once your sugar has been steady for a while.
4. Eye pressure check.
5. The front of the eye and the lens, under magnification, looking for cataract and other changes.
6. Dilating drops. They take some time to work.
7. Retina examination. The eye doctor examines the retina, the macula and the blood vessels of each eye with a bright light and special lenses.
8. Explanation. You are told what was found, whether anything needs treatment, and the date of your next check.

Retina photographs and retina scans (such as OCT) are not done at ReNew Vision; the eye doctor examines the retina directly. If you need a scan, the eye doctor will tell you and explain the next step.

What should I bring, and should I eat first?

• your recent sugar reports and HbA1c, BP readings, and kidney and cholesterol reports if you have them
• a list of all your medicines, including insulin and eye drops
• your spectacles
• a small snack and water, in case your sugar drops while you wait
• someone to take you home, because dilating drops blur vision for a few hours

Eat your usual meals and take your diabetes tablets or insulin as usual unless your doctor has told you otherwise. Do not skip a meal or a dose for the check-up: low sugar while you wait can be dangerous.

How often should I have a diabetic eye check-up?

At least once a year, unless your eye doctor advises otherwise. You will be asked to come more often if:

• any diabetic retinopathy or macular swelling is found
• your sugar or blood pressure is poorly controlled
• you are pregnant and had diabetes before the pregnancy
• your diabetes treatment has recently been changed a great deal

Do not wait for the next yearly check if your vision blurs, you see new floaters or dark patches, or your vision changes from day to day.

What happens if diabetic retinopathy is found?

The eye doctor explains the stage and what it means. In early retinopathy, the main treatment is better control of sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol, with closer check-ups. When the retinopathy or macular swelling threatens sight, treatment such as retina laser, eye injections or surgery may be needed. These are not done at ReNew Vision: you are referred to a retina centre, told how urgent the referral is, and your check-ups continue here afterwards. Read more in diabetic retinopathy: symptoms, stages and when to get checked.

What can I do to protect my eyes?

• Keep your sugar as steady as your physician advises, and know your HbA1c.
• Control your blood pressure and cholesterol; they matter for the retina as much as sugar does.
• Do not smoke.
• Stay active and keep a healthy weight.
• Take your medicines regularly; do not stop or change them on your own.
• Keep every eye check-up, even when you see well.

Come in the same day, at any hour, for sudden loss or blurring of vision, a sudden shower of floaters or a shadow over your vision. Emergency eye care at ReNew Vision is available 24 hours; see eye emergency.

How do I book?

ReNew Vision Eye Hospital, 2nd floor, Pai Hospital building, Vaddem Merces Road, Vaddem, Vasco da Gama. Eye OPD Monday to Saturday, 4 pm to 7 pm; Sunday OPD closed. Call or WhatsApp 072489 88039. We can collect you from your home and drop you back, at zero cost to the patient; ask when you call. Directions are on the visit page.

Questions patients ask

How often should a person with diabetes get an eye check-up?

At least once a year, with dilating drops, unless your eye doctor advises otherwise. If retinopathy is found, or your sugar or blood pressure is poorly controlled, you will be asked to come more often.

Do I need an eye check-up if my sugar is controlled and I see well?

Yes. Early diabetic retinopathy does not hurt and does not blur vision, and it can be present even when sugar control is good. A yearly check finds it while it can still be treated.

Can I take my diabetes medicines on the day of the eye check-up?

Yes. Eat your usual meals and take your tablets or insulin as usual unless your doctor has told you otherwise. Bring a snack, because low sugar while you wait can be dangerous.

Can I drive after a diabetic eye check-up?

No. Dilating drops blur close vision and make bright light uncomfortable for a few hours. Bring someone with you, or plan a taxi or bus home.

Is laser or injection treatment for diabetic retinopathy done at ReNew Vision?

No. ReNew Vision does the diabetic eye check-up and diagnosis. If laser, injections or surgery are needed, you are referred to a retina centre, and your check-ups continue here afterwards.

This page is general eye-health information, not personal medical advice. Your eye doctor advises you after examining your eyes.