Getting diabetic patients to keep their regular eye visits can be tricky. If the patient doesn’t notice any signs or symptoms of eye disease, they may underestimate the importance of preventive care. What’s more, by the time they do notice vision problems, the damage could be irreversible.

As November is Diabetes Awareness month, optometrists weigh in on how to raise awareness of the importance eye appointments for these patients, so they’ll adhere to said appointments.

DISCUSS DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

“I point out that diabetic ret-inopathy is one of the top three causes of blindness,” notes Peter Cass, O.D., of MyEyeDr, in Beaumont, Texas. “And I make sure patients understand that whatever is happening in the eye is also happening to the rest of their body. We don’t want diabetes to progress to where it damages not just their vision, but their feet or their kidneys also.”

EXPLAIN APPOINTMENT NECESSITY

Zachary McCarty, O.D., of SouthEastEye, a multiple-location practice in Tennessee, says he ensures patients understand the necessity of eye visits, even if they aren’t exhibiting signs of disease.

“I always make a comment like, ‘I’m looking into the back of your eye, and I don’t see any bleeding there now. But if you were to develop bleeding, we might not know it. That could permanently damage your vision, so we need to catch that early.”

EDUCATE ON CONSEQUENCES

Jacqueline Theis, O.D., F.A.A.O., of Concussion Care Centre of Virginia, adds that she is “very frank” with her diabetes patients that they’re at risk of losing their vision when they don’t comply with their appointments.

“I tell patients that if they keep going the way they are, they will need a laser to the back of the eye or a medication injected into the eye every few months,” she says.

MAKE IT FEASIBLE

Dr. Theis says she gives diabetic patients appointment options.

“We can either do a full exam every three-to-four months, or they can come in for a quick screening photo,” she explains. “I’ll review the photo, and if something is up, the patient then has to come in. The screening takes very little time, and it gives patients the power to choose how they are monitored.” OM