How Diabetes Affects Your Retina: What to Know About Diabetic Retinopathy

If you have diabetes, you likely already monitor your blood sugar, meals and possibly your feet. But how often do you think about your eyes, specifically your retina? Diabetes doesn’t just affect how you feel day to day; it can silently damage your vision over time. That’s where diabetic retinopathy comes in.

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition that affects the retina, the thin layer of tissue at the back of the eye responsible for sending visual signals to the brain. When blood sugar levels remain high over time, the tiny blood vessels in the retina can swell, leak or become blocked completely. In some cases, new (and fragile) blood vessels grow where they shouldn’t. All of this can distort your vision or worse, lead to permanent vision loss.

The scary part? Diabetic retinopathy often starts without symptoms. No pain, no redness, no warning signs you’d notice on your own. By the time your vision gets blurry or spotty, the damage may already be well underway. That’s why regular dilated eye exams are critical, even if your vision seems fine.

There are different stages of diabetic retinopathy, ranging from mild non-proliferative (early stage) to proliferative retinopathy, which is more advanced and can lead to complications like retinal detachment or bleeding in the eye (vitreous hemorrhage). Another related condition, diabetic macular edema (DME), causes swelling in the central part of the retina and can directly affect your ability to see details.

The best way to protect your eyes? Maintain healthy levels of blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. A healthy lifestyle can slow or even stop the progression of diabetic retinopathy. And, of course, don’t skip your eye appointments; early detection is key to protecting your vision in the long term.

If needed, treatments like laser therapy, anti-VEGF injections or surgery can help manage the condition and prevent further damage. However, those options work best when retinopathy is detected early, before it begins to impact your daily life.

Whether you’ve had diabetes for years or were recently diagnosed, it’s never too early to make eye health a priority. Schedule a diabetic eye exam today with Associated Retina Consultants at 602-242-4928 or visit WEBSITE to learn more. Your eyes deserve the same care and attention as the rest of you.