Ask an Expert About…
“Is it true that diabetes can affect your eyesight?”
People with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes have an
increased risk of developing eye problems. If untreated, these can lead to poor
vision, even blindness.
Changes in vision may be so gradual that you may not notice
them for some time. The good news is that regular eye checks and early
treatment can prevent most vision loss from diabetes.
Diabetes can cause a range of eye problems. The most common
is Diabetic Retinopathy (DR), in which the tiny blood vessels in the back of
the eye are damaged. It is important that DR is identified and treated early.
During the early stages, DR has no symptoms. In later
stages, you may notice blurred, hazy or double vision, or even sudden loss of
vision. The only way to know if you have DR is to have regular diabetes eye
health checks. These focus on looking for early signs of diabetes-related
changes, such as changes to the blood vessels at the back of your eyes.
You can book an eye check directly with an optometrist. When
you do, be sure to tell them you have diabetes.
If your optometrist sees any signs of damage to your eyes,
they will either monitor it or arrange treatment with an ophthalmologist. You
can slow the progression of diabetic eye disease by keeping your blood glucose,
blood pressure and cholesterol as close to target as possible.
