How can diabetes hurt our eyes?

Retinopathy: Blood vessels damaged from diabetic retinopathy can cause vision loss in two ways. Fragile, abnormal blood vessels can develop & leak blood into the eye, blurring vision. This is proliferative retinopathy & is 4th and most advanced stage of disease. Fluid can leak into the center of the macula, the part of the eye where sharp, straight-ahead vision occurs. This condition is called macular edema.

Damaged vessels: High sugar in the blood stream serves as an irritant to blood vessels. Over time this causes damage to the blood vessels around the eye and decrease vision.

Diabetic retinopathy: High sugars injure blood vessels. Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness in adults (age 20-74) diabetic retinopathy (diabetes eye disease) does not have symptoms until the late stages. Diabetic retinopathy is treated with glucose control by the patient and primary care provider and lasers to retina by a physician (ophthalmologist). Newer techniques such as Lucentis (ranibizumab) show promise.