Diabetic Retinopathy

Patients with diabetes (type 1 or type 2) are susceptible to diabetic retinopathy, a condition that affects their eyes – a risk that’s considerably increased when blood sugar control is not optimal.

Most commonly, diabetic eye disease presents with a reduction in vision but by the time this is noticed by the patient the disease is often quite advanced.

For this reason, every diabetic should be checked by an ophthalmologist every year. Regular screening and good control remain the only ways to prevent irreversible vision loss.

If any signs of diabetes appear, the earlier it is treated the better the outcome, so delaying consulting a specialist could have serious consequences.