• Introduction to diabetes
• Treatment & your health
• Living with diabetes
• What care to expect
• Year of care
• Complications
• Short term complications
• Long term complications
• Cardiovascular disease
• Retinopathy - eyes
• Nerves (Neuropathy)
• Kidneys (Nephropathy)
• Skin (Necrobiosis)
• Breasts (Mastopathy)
• Musculoskeletal Conditions
• Food and recipes
• Educational events
• Your stories
• My life - for young people with diabetes

Retinopathy - eyes

People with diabetes are at risk of developing a complication called retinopathy.  Retinopathy affects the blood vessels supplying the retina – the seeing part of the eye.  Blood vessels in the retina of the eye can become blocked, leaky or grow haphazardly.  This damage gets in the way of the light passing through to the retina and if left untreated can damage vision.

Keeping blood glucose and blood pressure and blood fat levels under control will help to reduce the risk of developing retinopathy.  But, your best protection against retinopathy is having your eyes screened with a digital camera when you are first diagnosed and then every year.  Read our position statement on retinal screening.

Retinopathy screening is different from a general eye examination, which checks that you can see properly, that your spectacles if needed, are correct and that your eyes are healthy.

Retinopathy can be treated by laser which is very successful if the condition is caught early and is generally pain free.  In 80 percent of cases it can prevent any further loss of sight.

Tiny laser beams are used to destroy damaged parts of the retina, stopping the growth of new abnormal blood vessels and preventing any further damage to vision.  Laser therapy cannot restore any vision which has already been lost.