These small changes are called background retinopathy. Most people who have had diabetes for a number of years have background retinopathy, which usually does not affect sight. Over time, the blood vessels may rupture or leak fluid. In a minority of patients, most often those with higher blood sugar, retinopathy becomes more severe and new blood vessels may grow on the retina. These vessels may bleed into the clear gel, or vitreous, that fills the eye or detach the retina from its normal position because of bleeding or scar formation.
Laser treatment can help restore vision impaired by diabetic retinopathy.
If you have had IDDM for 5 years or more, you should see an eye doctor at least once a year for an examination through dilated pupils. An annual exam is the best way to detect and treat eye damage before the condition becomes severe. Laser treatment, as well as surgical procedures performed by eye doctors who specialize in diabetic problems, can often help preserve useful vision even in cases of advanced retinopathy. In the DCCT, intensive management reduced the risk of diabetic eye disease by 76 percent in participants with no eye damage at the beginning of the study. In those with early retinopathy, intensive therapy slowed the progression of eye damage by 50 percent.