Retinopathy is a complication of diabetes, so the chances of retinopathy developing and progressing can be reduced by maintaining good blood glucose control and keeping blood fat levels and your blood pressure as near to normal as possible.
The following table provides guideline diabetes control targets. Please remember your own targets will be agreed between you and your doctor.
| Guideline diabetes control targets |
| Blood glucose |
HbA1C of less than 48 mmol/mol* or 58 mmol/mol if you are at risk of severe hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose) |
| Blood fats |
Total cholesterol |
less than 4mmol/l ** |
| LDL cholesterol |
less than 2mmol/l |
| HDL cholesterol |
1mmol/l or above for men
1.2mmol/l or above for women |
| Triglycerides |
less than 1.7mmol/l |
| Blood pressure |
130/80, or 125/75 if you have kidney problems |
* Millimoles per mole ** Millimoles per litre. A mole is a unit of measurement for the amount of a substance. Millimoles per mole represents the concentration of one substance in another, while millimoles per litre represents the concentration of a substance in a specific amount of fluid.
What else can I do?
To stop retinopathy developing or getting worse it is also important to:
- Have your eyes screened every year.
- Keep a note of when your appointment is due and contact your doctor if you don’t receive an appointment.
- See your doctor straight away if you notice a change in your vision – don’t wait until your next annual eye examination.
- Talk to your doctor or nurse if you are having trouble achieving your blood glucose, blood pressure or blood fats targets.
- Take your medication as prescribed – don’t skip doses.
- Try to lose weight if you are overweight, or watch what you are eating and keep your diet high in fruit and vegetables and low in fat, sugar and salt.
- Increase your levels of physical activity.
- Aim to give up if you smoke.
If you already have proliferative retinopathy or maculopathy, good blood glucose control and control of blood pressure and blood fats can slow down the progression of the condition, but cannot reverse it.
Reviewed March 2011
Next review September 2012