Shuswap Optometric Center

Diabetic Eye Care in Salmon Arm & Chase

Find A Location

Protect Your Vision From Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most common systemic diseases in the country, affecting 2.3 million Canadians. And while diabetes impacts your health, the disease can also increase your risk of developing many eye diseases that damage your vision.

Regular eye exams ensure these issues are detected early, allowing our team to respond to your issues with urgency and possibly preserving your vision.

If you have diabetes, please book an appointment with us today and find help protecting your eye health.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a systemic disease that occurs when your body can’t manage your blood sugar levels. Our bodies use sugar (glucose) to provide us with the energy we need to live healthy lives. One of the chemicals your body needs to process this sugar is insulin, produced by the pancreas.

Diabetes affects the amount of insulin you need to manage your blood sugar levels, leading to increased sugar levels in your blood. High blood sugar levels can cause health issues for your teeth, heart, and eyes.

Because of the threat diabetes poses to your vision, we recommend annual eye exams to provide you with the opportunity to preserve your vision.

Diabetes-Related Eye Diseases & Issues

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease with a direct relationship to diabetes. Raised blood sugar levels can damage the blood vessels in your retina, causing them to break and leak fluids, increasing the risk of vision loss.

In some cases, the retina may develop new blood vessels to compensate for the fluid loss, which are usually weak and prone to leaking. These new vessels can create scar tissue on your retina, raising your chances for retinal detachment.

Diabetic macular edema is an eye disease connected to diabetic retinopathy. When fluids leak from damaged retinal blood vessels, they can accumulate underneath the macula, the part of your eye responsible for central vision.

Cataracts are an eye condition that occurs when your eye’s clear crystalline lens becomes rigid and opaque. In some cases, it may look as if your eye’s lens is milky, yellow, or brown.

Cataracts are 2 to 5 times more prevalent in people who have diabetes. In extreme cases, the crystalline lens may be removed and replaced with an artificial intraocular lens to help achieve clear vision.

Diabetes can double your risk of developing open-angle glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma is a common eye disease that occurs when high intraocular eye pressure damages your optic nerve, leading to vision loss. In many cases, we can diagnose this disease by either measuring your intraocular pressure or examining your optic nerve during an eye exam.

Detecting Eye Diseases Caused by Diabetes

Ocular Coherence Tomography

Ocular coherence tomography (OCT) allows our team to take a detailed look at the health and structure of your retina. OCTs generate detailed cross-sectional images of your retina using light similar to how ultrasounds use sound. OCT is non-invasive and generally comfortable.

The fundus is the back area of your eye that includes your retina, macula, and optic nerve. Fundus photography helps us diagnose a range of eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, glaucoma, and more.

We can also observe your fundus without the need for photography simply by dilating your eyes using special drops. The drops do not cause discomfort, but they may make your vision blurry for a short period.

Optos retinal scanning generates ultra-widefield digital images of your retina, creating what’s known as an optomap. By assessing your optomap, we can diagnose a range of eye diseases connected to diabetes.

Our Locations

Shuswap Optometric Centre

How To Find Us
From the Trans-Canada Highway, turn on to Alexander Street NE going south and take your immediate right into our spacious parking lot. Accessible parking spaces are available.

Contact Information

Address

3-160 Trans-Canada HWY NE
Salmon Arm, BC V1E 1V4

Hours of Operations

Monday
8 AM5 PM
Tuesday
8 AM7:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM5 PM
Thursday
8 AM5 PM
Friday
8 AM5 PM
Saturday
8 AM2 PM
Sunday
Closed

Chase Optometric Centre

How To Find Us
Our clinic is located on Shuswap Avenue, right across the street from Thompson-Nicola Regional Library and Western Financial Group.

Contact Information

Address

633 Shuswap Avenue
Chase, BC V0E 1M0

Hours of Operations

Monday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Friday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

We’re closed for lunch from 12:00pm to 1:00pm every day.

How To Find Us
From the Trans-Canada Highway, turn on to Alexander Street NE going south and take your immediate right into our spacious parking lot. Accessible parking spaces are available.

Contact Information

Address

3-160 Trans-Canada HWY NE
Salmon Arm, BC V1E 1V4

Hours of Operations

Monday
8 AM5 PM
Tuesday
8 AM7:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM5 PM
Thursday
8 AM5 PM
Friday
8 AM5 PM
Saturday
8 AM2 PM
Sunday
Closed

How To Find Us
Our clinic is located on Shuswap Avenue, right across the street from Thompson-Nicola Regional Library and Western Financial Group.

Contact Information

Address

633 Shuswap Avenue
Chase, BC V0E 1M0

Hours of Operations

Monday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Friday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

We’re closed for lunch from 12:00pm to 1:00pm every day.

Our Services

instagram facebook facebook2 pinterest twitter google-plus google linkedin2 yelp youtube phone location calendar share2 link star-full star star-half chevron-right chevron-left chevron-down chevron-up envelope fax