The Complete Diabetic Eye Exam: Why Retinal Imaging and OCT Scans Are Worth It
- Northern Sight Optometry
- Oct 28
- 3 min read
If you have diabetes, you’ve probably been told to have an eye exam every year. You might have even had one where your eyes were dilated, and your doctor said, “Everything looks fine.” But here’s the question: was any imaging done?
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.
Diabetes and eye health awareness are growing topics of concern with our Kleinburg-Vaughan patients, so understanding the difference between a basic and a comprehensive diabetic eye exam can make all the difference in preserving long-term vision.
Why a Dilated Exam Alone Isn’t Enough
Dilation is an important part of any diabetic eye exam. It lets your optometrist look through your pupils to check for visible bleeding, swelling, or damage to the blood vessels inside the eye. Think of it like shining a flashlight into a dark room. You can see quite a bit, but not everything.
The problem is that early diabetic eye changes often begin underneath the visible surface of the retina. These changes are microscopic and can’t always be seen with dilation alone. That’s where retinal imaging and OCT scans come in — they let us see what’s happening deep inside the eye, where diabetic changes start long before vision loss occurs.
Retinal Imaging: Seeing the Icing on the Cake
Retinal imaging is like taking a high-definition photograph of the back of your eye. It gives your optometrist a permanent record of your retinal health that can be compared year after year.
Your retina has ten layers of tissue. When we take a retinal image, we’re essentially taking a picture of the icing on the cake — the top, outer layer. That photo helps us spot visible bleeding, swelling, or pigment changes on the surface.
But diabetic eye disease doesn’t always start on the icing. Sometimes, the earliest signs are hidden inside the cake — within the deeper layers that you can’t see from the outside.
OCT Scans: Slicing into the Cake to See What’s Inside
That’s where OCT, or Optical Coherence Tomography, becomes invaluable. It lets us “slice the cake open” to see the nine layers underneath.
OCT uses light waves to take a cross-sectional scan of your retina, showing every layer in microscopic detail. This allows us to detect early retinal swelling, fluid pockets, or tiny leaks that signal diabetic macular edema — one of the most common causes of vision loss in diabetes.
It also helps us monitor the optic nerve for subtle thinning or early signs of glaucoma, which people with diabetes are at higher risk of developing. Together, retinal imaging and OCT scans give us the complete picture: the icing and the cake.
Coverage, Cost, and Value
In Ontario, people with diabetes are covered by OHIP for a diabetic eye exam once every 12 months. That covers the examination and dilation — but not the advanced imaging.
At our office, we’re proud to offer direct billing for retinal imaging and OCT scans through most insurance plans. If you don’t have coverage, we’ll provide a detailed receipt that you can submit through your Health Spending Account or on your tax return.
We believe these scans are one of the most valuable investments you can make in your eye health. Research shows that with early detection and good diabetic control, over 90% of vision loss from diabetic retinopathy is preventable.
At Northern Sight Optometry, our diabetic patients receive a dilated eye exam with high-resolution imaging and OCT analysis. We believe in proactive, evidence-based care — because your vision deserves more than a glance, it deserves a full evaluation.
Our goal is to help every patient in the Kleinburg–Vaughan community understand their risk, protect their sight, and take control of their eye health through early detection.
If it’s been more than a year since your last diabetic eye exam, or if your last visit didn’t include retinal imaging or OCT scans, now’s the time to schedule your diabetic eye exam. Your vision is too important to leave unseen.