Diabetes and Your Eyes — Why Every Diabetic Needs an Annual Retina Check

India is often called the diabetes capital of the world, and most people living with diabetes know to watch their sugar, their diet and their feet. Far fewer realise that diabetes is also a leading cause of preventable blindness, through a condition called diabetic retinopathy.

What diabetes does to the eye

Persistently high blood sugar damages the tiny blood vessels that feed the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. Over time those vessels can leak, bleed or close off, and fragile new ones may start to grow. Left unchecked, this can lead to serious, sometimes sudden, loss of vision.

The dangerous part: it starts silently

In its early stages, diabetic retinopathy usually causes no symptoms at all. Your vision can feel perfectly normal while damage quietly builds at the back of the eye. By the time you notice blurring, floaters or dark patches, the condition may already be advanced.

Which is precisely why waiting for symptoms is the wrong strategy.

What you should do

• Have a dilated retina examination at least once a year, even if your vision feels fine, and more often if your doctor advises it.
• Keep your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol well controlled.
• Report any sudden change, whether new floaters, flashes, blurring or a shadow in your vision, without delay.

A dilated examination lets us see the retina directly and catch changes early, when they respond best to laser, injections or other care. You can learn more about our retina and macula services here.

With diabetes, your eyes can look after you for decades, but only if you let someone look after them, every year, before anything goes wrong. If you or a family member has diabetes and hasn’t had a retina check in the last year, that is a check worth booking now.

This article is general information, not a substitute for a personal consultation. If you have concerns about your eyes, please get in touch.