When to See a Specialist

Your child's pediatrician or your family doctor can manage your child's diabetes after an endocrinologist has diagnosed it. Just be sure your doctor has experience with type 1 diabetes.

Dietitian

Ask your doctor to refer you to a dietitian who specializes in diabetes. Remember that nutrition needs change as your child grows. Talk with a dietitian at least once a year or whenever the diabetes treatment plan changes.

Mental health provider

Sometimes you may need a counselor to help your child cope with the emotional demands of the illness. Often a child may feel different from peers, which can make your child feel isolated and even depressed.

Podiatrist

People with diabetes sometimes develop problems with their feet. If this happens to your child, the doctor may refer you to a podiatrist.

Ophthalmologist

It is important for people with diabetes to have their eyes checked regularly. People with diabetes are at a higher risk for developing eye diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. Diabetic retinopathy is the most serious diabetic eye disease. The National Eye Institute estimates nearly half of the millions of Americans with diabetes have some degree of diabetic retinopathy, which is a leading cause of blindness in American adults. Finding and treating the disease before it causes vision loss or blindness is the best way to control diabetic eye disease.

More on Diabetes Type 1

	Diabetic Eye Disease
	Meet Your Child's Diabetes Team

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.