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Skip to main content. Home Diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page.

Types of diabetic retinopathy Retinopathy is a high risk for diabetics Symptoms Causes Preventing diabetic retinopathy Treatment Where to get help.

Types of diabetic retinopathy There are three main types of diabetic retinopathy: Non-proliferative retinopathy is an early form of the disease, where the retinal blood vessels leak fluid or bleed. Floaters often appear as dark specks, globs, strings, or dots. A sudden shower of floaters may be a sign of a retinal detachment , which is a serious complication of diabetic retinopathy.

A new visual defect, shadow, or curtain across part of your vision. This is another sign of retinal detachment. Eye pain or a feeling of pressure in your eye.

New or sudden vision loss. Sudden partial or complete vision loss is a symptom of many disorders that can occur within or outside the eye, including retinal detachment or bleeding within the eye.

Sudden vision loss is always a medical emergency. Call your doctor for an appointment if: You have more and more trouble doing everyday tasks like driving or reading because of your eyesight. Watchful waiting Watchful waiting is not okay if you have diabetes and notice changes in your vision.

Exams and Tests Diabetic retinopathy can be found during a dilated eye exam. Eye exams for people with diabetes can include: Visual acuity testing.

This measures how well your eye can focus. It also checks how well you can see details at near and far distances. Ophthalmoscopy and slit lamp exam. These may be used to find clouding of the lens cataract , changes in the retina, and other problems.

This test measures the pressure inside the eye. It is used to help find glaucoma. Screening for diabetic retinopathy If diabetic retinopathy hasn't been diagnosed, Diabetes Canada recommends that: People with type 1 diabetes who are age 15 and older should have a dilated eye exam within 5 years after diabetes is diagnosed.

Then they should be tested every year. footnote 1 People with type 2 diabetes should have an exam as soon as diabetes is diagnosed. footnote 1 People who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and who are planning to become pregnant should have an exam before they get pregnant, if they can.

They should have an exam once during the first 3 months first trimester of pregnancy and within the first year after the baby is born. footnote 2 If your eye exam results are normal, you may need fewer follow-up exams. Learn more Dilated Eye Exam Ophthalmoscopy Retinal Imaging Slit Lamp Examination Tonometry Vision Loss Evaluation Vision Tests.

Diabetic Retinopathy: Why Screening Matters. Treatment Overview You may need treatment for diabetic retinopathy if: It has affected the centre macula of the retina. Abnormal new blood vessels have started to appear. Your side peripheral vision has been severely damaged. Treatment options Treatment options include: Laser treatment photocoagulation.

Laser treatment usually works very well to prevent vision loss if it's done before the retina has been severely damaged. It may also help with macular edema. Severe proliferative retinopathy may be treated with a more aggressive laser therapy called scatter pan-retinal photocoagulation.

It allows your doctor to limit the growth of new blood vessels across the back of your retina. Laser treatments may not always work in treating proliferative retinopathy. Anti-VEGF vascular endothelial growth factor or an anti-inflammatory medicine.

Sometimes injections of these types of medicine help to shrink new blood vessels in proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

An anti-VEGF medicine, such as aflibercept or ranibizumab, might be used if the macula has been damaged by macular edema. Steroids may be injected into the eye. Sometimes an implant, such as Iluvien, may be placed in the eye. The implant releases a small amount of corticosteroid over time.

Surgical removal of the vitreous gel vitrectomy. This surgery may help improve vision if the retina hasn't been severely damaged. It's done when there is bleeding vitreous hemorrhage or retinal detachment.

These two problems are rare in people with early-stage retinopathy. This surgery is also done when severe scar tissue has formed. It can be used to treat macular edema. Learn more Laser Photocoagulation for Diabetic Retinopathy Vitrectomy. Self-Care Taking care of yourself Have regular eye exams.

Tell your doctor about any changes in your vision. Keep blood sugar in your target range. Eat a variety of healthy foods, and follow your meal plan so you know how much carbohydrate you need for meals and snacks.

It's important to stay as active as you can. Walking is a good choice. Bit by bit, increase the amount you walk every day. Try for at least 2½ hours of moderate to vigorous activity each week. Be safe with medicines. Take your medicine exactly as prescribed. Call your doctor if you think you are having a problem with your medicine.

Check your blood sugar as often as your doctor recommends. Eat a low-salt diet. If you have high blood pressure, this may help lower it. You may also need to take medicines to reach your goals. Do not smoke. If you need help quitting, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines.

These can increase your chances of quitting for good. Avoid risky activities. These include things like weight lifting and some contact sports. They may trigger bleeding in the eye through impact or increased pressure.

This is the sensitive central part of our retina that we use most. These can help stop the problems in your eyes getting worse. it will usually lead to an improvement in your vision.

During treatment, the skin around your eyes will be cleaned and covered with a sheet. Small clips will be used to keep your eyes open. You'll be given local anaesthetic drops to numb your eyes. A very fine needle is guided into your eyeball and the injection is given.

The entire procedure usually takes less than 5 minutes. The injections are usually given once a month, to begin with. Once your vision starts to stabilise, they'll be stopped or given less frequently. Injections of steroid medication may sometimes be given.

These are instead of anti-VEGF injections, or if the anti-VEGF injections do not help. There's also a risk that the injections could cause blood clots to form. This could lead to a heart attack or stroke. This risk is small, but it should be discussed with you before you give your consent to treatment.

let your doctor know if you have had a recent surgery, stroke or heart attack. The main risk with steroid injections is increased pressure inside the eye and development of early cataracts. Surgery may be carried out to remove some of the vitreous humour from the eye.

This is the transparent, jelly-like substance that fills the space behind the lens of the eye. During the procedure, the surgeon will make a small incision in your eye. They will then remove some of the vitreous humour and any scar tissue. The surgeon will use a laser to prevent further deterioration in your vision.

Vitrectomy is usually carried out under local anaesthetic and sedation. This means you will not experience any pain or have any awareness of the surgery being performed. You should be able to go home on the same day or the day after your surgery.

It's usually done in your doctor's office or eye clinic in two or more sessions. Your vision will be blurry for about a day after the procedure. Some loss of peripheral vision or night vision after the procedure is possible. While treatment can slow or stop the progression of diabetic retinopathy, it's not a cure.

Because diabetes is a lifelong condition, future retinal damage and vision loss are still possible. Even after treatment for diabetic retinopathy, you'll need regular eye exams.

At some point, you might need additional treatment. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic Press.

This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. By Mayo Clinic Staff Print. Early diabetic retinopathy If you have mild or moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, you might not need treatment right away.

Request an appointment. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Diabetic retinopathy. National Eye Institute. Accessed Feb. Diabetic retinopathy. Mayo Clinic, Fraser CE, et al.

Diabetic retinopathy: Classification and clinical features. American Optometrics Association. Diabetic retinopathy: Prevention and treatment. The diabetes advisor: Eye exams for people with diabetes.

American Diabetes Association. Zhang HW, et al. Single herbal medicine for diabetic retinopathy review. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Nair AA, et al. Spotlight on faricimab in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration: Design, development and place in therapy.

Drug Design, Development and Therapy. Chodnicki KD expert opinion. Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic Press Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic Press.

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Show the heart some love! Give Today. Help us advance cardiovascular medicine. Find a doctor. Explore careers. Sign up for free e-newsletters. About Mayo Clinic. About this Site. Contact Us. If your eye doctor thinks you may have severe diabetic retinopathy or DME, they may do a test called a fluorescein angiogram.

This test lets the doctor see pictures of the blood vessels in your retina. Managing your diabetes is the best way to lower your risk of diabetic retinopathy. That means keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range.

This test shows your average blood sugar level over the past 3 months. You can work with your doctor to set a personal A1C goal. Meeting your A1C goal can help prevent or manage diabetic retinopathy.

Having high blood pressure or high cholesterol along with diabetes increases your risk for diabetic retinopathy.

So controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol can also help lower your risk for vision loss. In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, your eye doctor will probably just keep track of how your eyes are doing. Some people with diabetic retinopathy may need a comprehensive dilated eye exam as often as every 2 to 4 months.

Medicines called anti-VEGF drugs can slow down or reverse diabetic retinopathy. Other medicines, called corticosteroids, can also help. Learn more about injections. Laser treatment. To reduce swelling in your retina, eye doctors can use lasers to make the blood vessels shrink and stop leaking.

Learn more about laser treatment for diabetic retinopathy. Eye surgery. If your retina is bleeding a lot or you have a lot of scars in your eye, your eye doctor may recommend a type of surgery called a vitrectomy.

Learn more about vitrectomy. Scientists are studying better ways to find, treat, and prevent vision loss in people with diabetes. One NIH-funded research team is studying whether a cholesterol medicine called fenofibrate can stop diabetic retinopathy from getting worse. Last updated: November 15, National Eye Institute Research Today… Vision Tomorrow.

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Home Learn About Eye Health Eye Conditions and Diseases Diabetic Retinopathy. Print this Page. Diabetic Retinopathy. On this page:. At a glance: Diabetic Retinopathy Early Symptoms: None. Later Symptoms: Blurry vision, floating spots in your vision, blindness.

Diagnosis: Dilated eye exam. Treatment: Injections , laser treatment, surgery. What is diabetic retinopathy? Other types of diabetic eye disease Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of vision loss for people with diabetes.

But diabetes can also make you more likely to develop several other eye conditions: Cataracts. Having diabetes makes you 2 to 5 times more likely to develop cataracts. It also makes you more likely to get them at a younger age. Learn more about cataracts. Open-angle glaucoma. Having diabetes nearly doubles your risk of developing a type of glaucoma called open-angle glaucoma.

Learn more about glaucoma. What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy? What other problems can diabetic retinopathy cause? Diabetic retinopathy can lead to other serious eye conditions: Diabetic macular edema DME.