Stepping Out to Stop Diabetes 2015

For friends. For family. For patients.

Back in October, members of our network of independent optometrists teamed up with the San Diego Optometric Society for Step Out -- the American Diabetes Association’s fundraising walk to stop diabetes.

Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes takes place in 95 cities nationwide and inspires more than 100,000 walkers a year who want to put an end to the disease. Formerly called Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes and America’s Walk for Diabetes, the annual event has been taking place for over 20 years and has raised more than $175,000,000.

This year, we had our most successful walk yet as a team, raising over $8000 for the cause.

Diabetes and Your Eyes

One of the main reasons we’re passionate about this issue has to do with the ways in which diabetes affects the eyes.

“Diabetic eye disease” refers to a group of eye problems that people with diabetes face as a complication of diabetes. These may include:

• Diabetic retinopathy -- damage to the blood vessels in the retina
• Cataracts -- clouding of the eye’s lens
• Glaucoma -- increase in the fluid pressure inside the eye, leading to optic nerve damage and vision loss

If you have diabetes, regular exams from your optometrist are critical to avoiding these and other eye problems. A problem identified early on is more easily treated and can help prevent further vision loss.

When to Contact Your Eye Doctor

If you have diabetes and any of the following symptoms occur, contact your optometrist as soon as possible:

• Black spots in your vision
• Flashes of light
• Blurred vision
• “Holes” in your vision