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Eye Care for People with Diabetes
How does diabetes affect my eyes?
Diabetes makes your blood sugar level higher than normal. High blood sugar levels can weaken your blood vessels, including the small blood vessels in the retina. (The retina is the part of the eye that's sensitive to light and helps you see.) This damage is called diabetic retinopathy.
When the blood vessels in the eye are weak, they can leak fluid, which causes swelling in the eye. The swelling blurs your vision. If the retinopathy gets worse, your eye makes new blood vessels over the retina. But these new blood vessels are very weak and break open easily, which causes bleeding into the eye. Scar tissue can form, which may make the retina break away from the back of the eye.
Is diabetic retinopathy serious?
When retinopathy is found early, before it has done too much damage, it can be treated or slowed with laser treatment. If it's not treated, diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness.
How should I take care of my eyes?
The main thing is to have your eyes examined regularly. You won't notice the early signs of diabetic retinopathy because these changes in your eyes can only be seen with special equipment.
Eye exams are especially important if you're pregnant. Pregnancy can cause you to start developing diabetic retinopathy or can make it worse.
What else can I do?
Watch for warning signs of eye problems. Call your doctor if you notice any of the signs in the box below:
You can also help prevent eye problems (and other health problems) by taking care of yourself and keeping your blood sugar level low. See the tips in the box below:
Warning Signs of Eye Problems
- Blurred vision for more than 2 days
- Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Black spots, "cobwebs" or flashing lights in your field of vision
- Pain or pressure in one or both eyes
Tips on Preventing Eye Problems
- Control your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol.
- Exercise.
- See your family doctor regularly.
- Follow a good diet. Talk to your doctor about what to eat.
- Quit smoking.
This handout provides a general overview on this topic and may not apply to everyone. To find out if this handout applies to you and to get more information on this subject, talk to your family doctor.
Visit familydoctor.org for information on this and many other health-related topics.
Copyright © 1999 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Permission is granted to print and photocopy this material for nonprofit educational uses. Written permission is required for all other uses, including electronic uses.
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