If you’re living with diabetes, protecting your eyes should be just as important as managing your blood sugar. Many people don’t realize that diabetes can quietly affect the eyes long before any changes in vision appear. In fact, diabetes is one of the leading causes of preventable vision loss in Canada.

Not all diabetic eye exams are created equal. While a traditional dilated exam allows your optometrist to look directly into your eyes, it only shows part of the story. A truly complete diabetic eye exam should also include retinal imaging and OCT scans — two technologies that allow your optometrist to see beneath the surface and detect signs of diabetic eye disease before symptoms appear.