How often do I need a diabetic eye exam?

At least once a year for most people with diabetes — more often if changes are found. Yearly exams are the standard of care because diabetic retinopathy is most treatable when it's caught before you notice symptoms.

I was just diagnosed with diabetes. When should my eyes be checked?

With type 2 diabetes, an eye exam is recommended at the time of diagnosis, because the disease may have been present for years already. With type 1, the first exam is typically within five years of diagnosis. Either way, yearly exams follow from there.

Diabetic Eye Exams in Green Bay, WI

Q: Will my doctor get the results?

Yes. Findings from your diabetic eye exam are reported back to your physician, so your primary care provider or endocrinologist has the eye findings alongside your A1C and the rest of your diabetes care.

What we look for

What diabetes can do to the eye.

A diabetic eye exam is a targeted search for the specific ways elevated blood sugar affects the eye — most of which begin silently.

Diabetic retinopathy

Weakened, leaking or blocked retinal blood vessels — the leading cause of preventable vision loss in working-age adults.

Macular edema

Fluid collecting in the central retina, where your sharpest vision lives — treatable, and far better caught early.

Cataract changes

Diabetes can accelerate clouding of the eye's natural lens, often earlier than expected.

Glaucoma risk

People with diabetes carry a higher risk of glaucoma — pressure and optic nerve health are checked at every exam.

Prescription swings

Blood sugar fluctuations can shift your prescription noticeably — a clue in the exam room, not just an annoyance.

Vessel changes over time

Year-over-year retinal imaging turns subtle changes into visible ones — before symptoms do.

Eidon retinal scan reviewed on screen during a diabetic eye exam in Green Bay

Imaging with a memory

Your retina, on file.

The practice uses the Eidon retinal scanner — ultra-widefield, true-color imaging of the back of your eye. For diabetic care, that matters twice: subtle vessel changes show up in high resolution, and every scan stays on file, so this year is always compared against your own baseline.

And it's the same doctor doing the comparing, every year. Dr. Gospodarek walks you through your images on the big screen in plain language — what's healthy, what's being watched, and what it means for you.

Caught early, retinopathy is manageable. Caught late, it isn't.

Team care

Your whole care team stays in the loop.

Diabetes care works best when everyone treating you sees the same picture. After your exam, the findings are reported back to your physician — so your primary care provider or endocrinologist has the eye results alongside your A1C.

Reports to your physician

Exam findings go back to the doctor managing your diabetes, closing the loop on your annual care checklist.

Referrals when needed

If retinopathy needs treatment, you're referred promptly to a retinal specialist — with your imaging already in hand.

One doctor, every year

The same optometrist examines you at every visit, so change from your own baseline never slips through.

Medical, not just optical

This is a medical eye exam — glaucoma, cataract and retinal health are all evaluated, not just your glasses prescription.

Common questions

Diabetic eye exam questions, answered.

How often do I need one?

At least once a year for most people with diabetes — more often if changes are found. Yearly exams are the standard of care because retinopathy is most treatable before you notice symptoms.

I was just diagnosed. When should my eyes be checked?

With type 2 diabetes, at the time of diagnosis — the disease may have been present for years already. With type 1, typically within five years of diagnosis. Either way, yearly exams follow from there.

My vision seems fine. Do I still need the exam?

Yes — that's precisely the point. Early diabetic retinopathy usually has no symptoms at all. By the time vision changes, damage is already underway.

Will my doctor get the results?

Yes. Findings are reported back to your physician, so the doctor managing your diabetes has the eye findings alongside the rest of your care.

Can I drive after dilation?

Dilation makes eyes light-sensitive and blurs near vision for a few hours. Many patients drive with sunglasses; if you're unsure how you'll react, bring a driver the first time — and bring sunglasses either way.

Related care

Diabetic eye exams
in Green Bay.