Arielle Cilaire is a staff member of our partner Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF). Arielle’s journey with her eye health took an unexpected turn during the pandemic. After years of regular check-ups with an ophthalmologist, she went to a retinal specialist. Just a year after giving birth, she received shocking news: “You have diabetic retinal disease (DRD) in both eyes, stronger in your left.” Arielle had no previous signs and learned that pregnancy could accelerate DRD. The doctor emphasized that all people with T1D should see a retina specialist.
A year later, Arielle had to undergo invasive laser treatments, eye injections, and vitrectomy surgery, in efforts to save her vision. Having lived with diabetes for 32 years, Arielle’s vision-saving interventions reflect progress, but also how much work still needs to be done to offer hope of better ways to diagnose early, predict the risk of progression, and prevent vision-threatening DRD for everyone with diabetes.
