When blood vessels in the retina in the back of the eye are damaged, they may leak fluid or blood and grow abnormally fragile, brush-like branches and scar tissue. This can blur or distort vision and is called diabeteic retinopathy . The longer you have diabetes, the more likely you will develop diabetic retinopathy. You can have sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy without any symptoms . People with diabetes should have medical eye examinations with dilating drops applied to increase the size of the pupil and allow examination of the retina as recommended by their ophthalmologist, usually at least once a year.
Laser surgery is the most common treatment for diabetic retinopathy when it becomes advanced.
It often does not return the vision to normal but is helpful in preventing or slowing down continued loss of vision. The best protection against loss of vision from diabetic retinopathis to have regular eye examinations by your ophthalmologist.