Vision Health Library
Diabetes and Vision: How Diabetes Can Affect Your Eyes
Diabetes can affect many parts of the body, including the eyes. Over time, elevated blood sugar can damage small blood vessels and increase the risk of several eye conditions that may threaten vision if they are not detected and treated early.
One of the most important things people with diabetes can do for their vision is maintain regular comprehensive eye examinations. Some diabetic eye diseases may develop without noticeable symptoms in their early stages.
What Is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic condition involving the way the body produces or uses insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar.
When blood sugar remains elevated over time, it can damage blood vessels and nerves throughout the body. The small blood vessels inside the eyes are particularly important because damage to them can affect the retina and central vision.
How Can Diabetes Affect the Eyes?
Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of eye conditions that can occur or become more likely in people with diabetes.
These may include diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataracts and glaucoma. Diabetes can also contribute to fluctuations in vision and changes in the surface of the eye.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy develops when high blood sugar damages the small blood vessels that supply the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.
In the early stages, weakened blood vessels may leak fluid or blood. As the condition progresses, circulation to parts of the retina may become impaired.
In more advanced diabetic retinopathy, abnormal new blood vessels can develop. These vessels may be fragile and prone to bleeding, and scar tissue can form inside the eye.
Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy
One of the most important facts about diabetic retinopathy is that early disease may cause no noticeable symptoms.
As the condition progresses, symptoms may include:
- Blurred vision
- Fluctuating vision
- Floaters or dark spots
- Blind spots
- Changes in color vision
- Partial or significant loss of vision
Because diabetic retinopathy can progress before a person notices a change in vision, routine diabetic eye exams are especially important.
Diabetic Macular Edema
The macula is the central portion of the retina responsible for detailed central vision. Diabetic macular edema, or DME, occurs when damaged blood vessels leak fluid into this area.
Swelling in the macula can interfere with clear central vision and may make activities such as reading, driving and recognizing faces more difficult.
Retinal Detachment and Advanced Diabetic Eye Disease
In advanced diabetic retinopathy, abnormal blood vessel growth and scar tissue can place traction on the retina.
If the retina is pulled away from the tissue beneath it, a retinal detachment can occur. This is a serious eye emergency that can cause permanent vision loss without prompt treatment.
Warning signs can include a sudden increase in floaters, flashes of light or the appearance of a dark curtain or shadow across part of the vision.
Diabetes and Cataracts
People with diabetes may also be more likely to develop cataracts. A cataract occurs when the natural lens inside the eye becomes cloudy, causing blurred or hazy vision.
Cataracts can cause increased glare, faded colors, difficulty driving at night and frequent changes in eyeglass prescription.
Diabetes and Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. Diabetes is one factor associated with an increased risk of developing certain types of glaucoma.
Because glaucoma may also progress without obvious symptoms in its early stages, routine eye examinations are important for detecting changes before significant vision is lost.
Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy and Macular Edema
Treatment depends on the type and severity of diabetic eye disease. In some cases, careful monitoring and improved control of blood sugar and other health factors may be recommended.
More advanced diabetic retinopathy or diabetic macular edema may be treated with injections into the eye, laser procedures or other retinal treatments.
In some advanced cases involving significant bleeding or scar tissue, a procedure known as a vitrectomy may be necessary.
Protecting Your Vision When You Have Diabetes
Managing diabetes is an important part of protecting the eyes. Following your physician's recommendations for blood sugar control, medication, nutrition and physical activity can help reduce the risk of complications.
Regular eye examinations are equally important because changes inside the eye may be detected before vision is noticeably affected.
If you have diabetes, tell your eye doctor about your diagnosis and any changes in your blood sugar control, medications or vision.
Why Regular Diabetic Eye Exams Matter
Diabetic eye disease is often most manageable when it is identified early. Waiting for noticeable changes in vision may allow disease to progress before treatment begins.
At Choice Vision Care & Wellness in Wellington, Florida, Dr. Salvatore DeCanio can examine the retina and other structures of the eye for changes associated with diabetes and help determine when additional retinal evaluation or treatment may be necessary.