The following is an interview with Dr. Chapman about diabetes in the eye.

1. Question: What causes diabetic retinopathy? Answer: Diabetic retinopathy is a condition occurring in persons with diabetes, which causes progressive damage to the retina, the light sensitive lining at the back of the eye.  Response: I know what diabetes is because my grandpa has it but I never knew that it could be in the eye until I started this mentorship.

2. Question: What are some signs or symptoms? Answer: micro-hemorrhages, bleeding spots, floaters. Response: It's crazy how the doctors cant tell until something serious has already happened.

3. Question: What are the effects of diabetes in the eyes? Answer: loss of vision Response:  It's sad to think that people go blind every day because of this.

4. Question: Are there ways to prevent these things from happening? Answer: control blood sugar  Response: I think it's surprising that there is only one good way to really manage this disease.

5. Question: What are the treatment plans?  Answer: It depends on the stage.  Sometimes lasers are used and the doctors tell the patients to control their blood sugar. Response: It seems like blood sugar is a huge factor in this disease.

6. Question: Who is at risk? Answer: Anyone with either type of diabetes. Response: That means a lot of people are at risk for this disease.

7. Question: What methods are used in diagnosing and treating this? Answer: drawing blood, running A1C levels. Response: I wish that there were more ways to diagnos and treat.

8. Question: How can a person manage the disease? Answer: Check ups once a year, exercise, and controlling blood sugar. Response: I am glad that their are more ways to manage it.

9. Question: Is this something you see a lot of? Answer: yes.  Response: I am not surprised. A lot of people have diabetes.

10. Question: What is the prognosis? Answer: It can be good if the disease is caught early.  Response: I wish for the people that don't catch it early that there were moe ways to help them.