My three and one-half year old has been diagnosed for one year now, and I was wondering what the standard is for getting eye exams. A friend with a son the same age has already had one for a baseline measure, but our doctor does not seem to think it is necessary yet.

The standard of care for eye examinations established by various studies and accepted by the medical community recommends the following:

Type 1 patients should have their eyes examined by the fifth year after diagnosis.
Type 2 patients should have an eye exam soon after diagnosis.

It is alright to have an eye exam sooner then five years if you have type 1, but complications would be rare so soon in the history of the disease. Type 2 can go undetected for many years before diagnosis and that is why an eye exam is recommended soon after diagnosis. An eye exam should be performed through dilated pupils yearly thereafter or more frequently if diabetic eye disease is detected.

CAG