Signs and symptoms
... In the early, most treatable stages of diabetic retinopathy, you usually experience no visual symptoms or pain. The disease can even progress to an advanced stage without any noticeable change in your...

Causes
... If you have diabetes, your body doesn''t use sugar (glucose) properly. Sugar in your blood is vital to your health because it''s a main source of energy for your body''s cells. But too much sugar in y...

Risk factors
... Having diabetes puts you at risk of retinopathy, whether you have type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. Your risk increases the longer you have the disease. Other risk factors for diabetic retinopathy i...

When to seek medical advice
... A common misconception among people with diabetes is, "If I can see well, there''s nothing wrong with my eyes." That''s false confidence. If you have diabetes, you''re at risk of diabetic retinopathy,...

Screening and diagnosis
... Your eye doctor will likely diagnose diabetic retinopathy, either nonproliferative or proliferative, if an eye examination reveals any of the following: Leaking blood vessels Retinal hemorrhage Swolle...