Anyone with diabetes, either type 1, type 2, or gestational, can develop diabetic retinopathy. The better a patient controls their blood sugar, the less risk there is. But, the longer a patient has diabetes, the more likely it will occur. Researchers have found that nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) was present in 25% of patients 5 years after they were diagnosed with diabetes, 60% at 10 years, and 80% at 15 years.