DIABETES AND EYE COMPLICATIONS

You may have heard that diabetes causes eye problems and may lead to blindness.  People with diabetes do have a higher risk of blindness than people without diabetes.  However, most people with diabetes have nothing more than minor eye disorders.  You can keep minor problems minor.  And if you develop a major problem, there are treatments that often work well if you begin them right away.

To understand what happens in eye disorders, it helps to understand how the eye works.  The eye is covered with a tough outer membrane.  The covering in front is clear and curved.  This curved area is the cornea, which focuses light while protecting the eye.  After light passes through the cornea, it travels through a space called the anterior chamber (which is filled with a protective fluid called the aqueous humor), through the pupil (which is a hole in the iris, the colored part of the eye), and then through a lens that performs more focusing.  Finally, light passes through another fluid-filled chamber in the center of the eye (the vitreous) and strikes the back of the eye, the retina.  Like the film in a camera, the retina records the images focused on it.  The retina also converts those images into electrical signals, which the brain receives and decodes.  One part of the retina is specialized for seeing fine detail.  This tiny area of extra sharp vision is called the macula.  Blood vessels in and behind the retina nourish the macula.  The smallest of these blood vessels are the capillaries.

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People with diabetes are 40% more likely to suffer from glaucoma than people without diabetes.  The longer someone has had diabetes, the more common glaucoma is.  Risk also increases with age.  Glaucoma occurs when pressure builds up in the eye.  In most cases, the pressure causes drainage of the aqueous humor to slow down so that it builds up in the anterior chamber.  The pressure pinches the blood vessels that carry blood to the retina and optic nerve.  Vision is gradually lost because the retina and nerve are damaged.  There are several treatments for glaucoma.  Some use drugs to reduce the pressure in the eye, while others involve surgery.

Many people without diabetes get cataracts, but people with diabetes are 60% more likely to develop this eye condition.  People with diabetes also tend to get cataracts at a younger age and have them progress faster.  With cataracts, the eye’s lens clouds, blocking light.  To help deal with mild cataracts, you may need to wear sunglasses more often and use glare-control lenses in your glasses.  For cataracts that interfere greatly with vision, doctors usually remove the lens of the eye and replace it with an intraocular lens implant.  In people with diabetes, retinopathy can get worse after removal of the lens and glaucoma may start to develop.

Diabetic retinopathy is a general term for all disorders of the retina caused by diabetes.  There are two major types of retinopathy: nonproliferative and proliferative.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Normal non-diabetic eye

Eye with diabetic retinopathy

Nonproliferative retinopathy is the common, mild form.  It usually has no effect on vision and needs no treatment.  But, after it is diagnosed, you should have your eyes checked at least yearly to make sure it is not getting worse.  In nonproliferative retinopathy, capillaries balloon and form pouches.  Although retinopathy does not usually cause any vision loss at this stage, the capillary walls may lose their ability to control the passage of substances between the blood and the retina.  As a result, the retina becomes swollen and fatty deposits form within it.  If this swelling affects the center of the retina, the problem is called macular edema and vision loss can result.


In some people, retinopathy progresses after several years to a more serious form called proliferative retinopathy.  In this form, the blood vessels are so damaged that they close off.  In response, new blood vessels start growing in the retina.  These new vessels are weak and can leak blood, blocking vision, which is a condition called vitreous hemorrhage.  The new blood vessels can also cause scar tissue to grow.  After the scar tissue shrinks, it can distort the retina or pull it out of place – this is called a retinal detachment.   Your retina can be badly damaged before you notice any change in vision.  Most people with nonproliferative retinopathy have no symptoms.  Even with proliferative retinopathy, the more dangerous form, people sometimes have no symptoms until it is too late to treat them.  For this reason, you should have your eyes examined regularly by an ophthalmologist.

Several factors influence whether you get retinopathy.  These include your blood sugar control, your blood pressure levels, how long you have had diabetes and your genes.  The longer you have had diabetes, the more likely you are to have retinopathy.  Almost everyone with type 1 diabetes will eventually have nonproliferative retinopathy.  And most people with type 2 diabetes will also get it.  But the retinopathy that destroys vision, proliferative retinopathy, is far less common.  People who keep their blood sugar levels closer to normal are less likely to have retinopathy or to have milder forms.

Huge strides have been made in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy.  Treatments such as laser photocoagulation and vitrectomy prevent blindness in most people.  The sooner retinopathy is diagnosed, the more likely these treatments will be successful.  The best results occur when sight is still normal.

There are steps you can take to avoid eye problems.

First and most important, keep your blood sugar levels under tight control.  According to a study by the American diabetes Association, people on standard diabetes treatment got retinopathy four times as often as people who kept their blood sugar levels close to normal.  In people who already had retinopathy, the condition progresses in the tight-control group only half as often.  These impressive results show that you have a lot of control over what happens to your eyes.  

Second, bring high blood pressure under control.  High blood pressure can make eye problems worse.

Third, quit smoking.

Fourth, see your ophthalmologist at least once a year for a dilated eye exam.  Having your regular doctor look at your eyes is not enough.  

Fifth, see your ophthalmologist if:

Your vision becomes blurry
You have trouble reading signs or books
You see doubleOne or both of your eyes hurt
Your eyes get red and stay that way
You feel pressure in your eyes
You see spots or floaters
Straight lines do not look straight
You can’t see things at the side as you used to

Source: American Diabetes Association