Protecting Your Vision: What You Need to Know About Diabetic Retinopathy

eye healthdiabetes and visionpatient education

Aug 21

Diabetes can affect much more than your blood sugar—it can also quietly damage your eyes. One of the most common and serious vision complications from diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, a condition that affects the blood vessels in the back of the eye. At Wink Optical and Eye Care, we’re here to help you understand what it is, how we detect it early, and what you can do to protect your sight.

What Is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that affects the retina—the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of your eye that plays a key role in how you see. When blood sugar levels stay high over time, they can damage the tiny blood vessels in the retina, causing them to leak, swell, or close off entirely. In later stages, new abnormal blood vessels may begin to grow, which can lead to more serious damage.

There are two stages:

Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) – the early stage, when blood vessels start to weaken or leak fluid.
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) – a more advanced stage, when new abnormal blood vessels form, which can bleed or cause scar tissue.

This condition is one of the leading causes of vision loss in adults, and often progresses without symptoms in its early stages—which makes regular eye exams essential.

Who’s at Risk?

Anyone with diabetes can develop diabetic retinopathy. Your risk increases if:

You’ve had diabetes for many years
Your blood sugar is poorly controlled
You have high blood pressure or high cholesterol
You’re pregnant and have diabetes
You smoke

The longer you’ve lived with diabetes, the higher your chances of developing this eye condition. But good control of your blood sugar and blood pressure can lower the risk significantly.

What Happens in the Eye?

In the early stages, high blood sugar weakens the walls of the tiny blood vessels in your retina. These vessels may start to leak fluid or blood. Over time, the lack of oxygen in the retina can cause your eye to grow new blood vessels to compensate—but these vessels are fragile and can bleed or create scar tissue. This process can lead to vision loss, especially if the central part of your vision, called the macula, becomes swollen—a condition called diabetic macular edema.

What Are the Symptoms?

Most people don’t notice any symptoms in the early stages. As the condition progresses, you might experience:

Blurry or distorted vision
Dark spots or floaters
Trouble seeing at night
Faded colors
Sudden vision loss in more severe cases

Since symptoms can appear suddenly and progress quickly, routine monitoring is the best way to protect your vision.

How Do We Screen for Diabetic Retinopathy?

At Wink Optical and Eye Care, we perform diabetic eye exams designed to detect retinopathy early—even before symptoms begin. A typical exam may include:

Dilated retinal exam – to view the back of the eye and inspect the blood vessels
OCT imaging – to check for swelling or fluid buildup in the retina
Retinal photography – to document and track any changes
Additional testing – such as angiography, if more detail is needed

If we detect early signs of retinopathy, we’ll work closely with you—and your primary care doctor or endocrinologist—to make sure your overall diabetes care supports your eye health.

How Is Diabetic Retinopathy Treated?

The best treatment begins with prevention and early detection. Managing your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol helps protect your eyes and slow the disease.

If retinopathy progresses or complications arise, treatment may include:

1. Eye Injections

Medications are injected into the eye to stop abnormal blood vessel growth and reduce swelling.

2. Laser Therapy

Laser treatment can help shrink abnormal vessels and prevent them from bleeding.

3. Eye Surgery

In advanced cases, surgery may be needed to remove blood or scar tissue and repair retinal damage.

These treatments are safe and effective—and most importantly, they work best when the condition is caught early.

What Can You Do to Protect Your Vision?

If you have diabetes, here are the most important steps you can take:

Get a diabetic eye exam at least once a year
Keep your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol under control
Don’t ignore changes in your vision
Follow your diabetes care plan and take medications as prescribed
Quit smoking, if applicable