Type 1 Diabetes
Diabetic Eye Problems: Symptoms, Treatment, and Prevention
Diabetes can affect your vision. People with diabetes are at risk of developing eye problems like diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.
Diabetic eye problems can lead to vision loss without early treatment.
Yearly eye exams and good blood sugar management can help keep your vision healthy.
People with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are at higher risk of developing certain eye conditions — like cataracts, glaucoma, retina damage, and macular edema. Diabetes-related eye conditions are a leading cause of vision loss among working-age adults in the United States. So it’s important for people with diabetes to take charge of their eye health.
Regular eye exams and good blood sugar (glucose) management can help keep your eyes healthy if you have diabetes. Let’s take a look at the most common eye conditions that can develop if you have diabetes.
Diabetic eye disease is a general term that describes different eye conditions people can develop if they’re living with diabetes. Unlike some other medical conditions, diabetes can affect all layers of the eye. Here’s what to know about the most common diabetes-related eye conditions.
Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that occurs when the blood vessels in the retina swell, break, and bleed. You are more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy if your blood sugars are high over time.
The retina is the part of your eye that transmits signals to your brain and lets you “see.” Without your retina, your brain can’t interpret images, even though your eye can perceive light.
When there’s damage to your retina, you start having trouble with your vision. Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include:
Blurry or wavy vision
Difficulty seeing at night or in dim lighting
Changes in vision quality
Darkened or empty spots in your field of vision
Loss of side or peripheral vision
Presence of “floaters”
Without treatment, diabetic retinopathy can lead to permanent vision loss.
Diabetic macular edema is an eye condition where the macula becomes swollen. The macula is the part of the eye responsible for sending the best resolution images to your brain (think of it like a high-definition TV screen). It’s located near the center of the retina and is essential for crisp vision.
When people have high blood sugar, blood vessels in the retina can grow when they aren’t supposed to. These vessels are at risk for tearing and leaking fluid into the macula. This causes the macula to swell. Symptoms of macular edema include:
Darkened or empty spots in your central vision
Distorted vision (straight lines may appear wavy)
Blurred central vision
Difficulty in seeing details
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Diabetic macular edema can cause permanent vision loss.
Glaucoma develops when there’s damage to the optic nerve (the nerve that connects the retina to the brain). This is usually due to high pressure inside the eye. When the optic nerve is damaged, you will experience vision loss. If there’s enough damage, you can lose your sight permanently.
There are several forms of glaucoma. Diabetes causes one form of glaucoma that’s difficult to control. High sugar levels can sometimes cause so much damage to the retina’s blood vessels that the body has to make new ones. If the new blood vessels grow on the iris (the colored part of your eye), it will cause your eye pressure to increase.
Glaucoma related to diabetes can cause symptoms like:
Eye redness
Eye pain
Headaches
Cataracts form as the lens of your eye becomes cloudy. Cataracts develop naturally over time. But people with diabetes can develop cataracts earlier in life if their blood sugars remain high over time. And people with diabetes are twice as likely to develop cataracts than people without diabetes.
Symptoms of cataracts include:
Glare, especially at night
Blurred vision
Halos around lights
Muted color perception
Cataracts related to diabetes can be treated with cataract surgery.
Not all types of diabetic eye disease have “stages.” But there are stages to diabetic retinopathy. The stages describe what your eye doctor sees when they examine your retina. The stages of diabetic retinopathy are:
Mild nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy: This is the earliest stage. There are small areas of swelling in the blood vessels of the retina.
Moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy: In this stage, there’s more swelling in the blood vessels. This blocks blood flow to the retina causing fluid to build up in the macula.
Severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy: In this stage, more blood vessels are blocked because of swelling. Fluid build up can get worse.
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy: This is the most advanced stage. New blood vessels grow in the eye to try and make up for the blocked blood vessels. But these new blood vessels are prone to breaking and leaking fluid into the retina and macula.
Your eye doctor may recommend different treatments based on the stage of your diabetic retinopathy. They may also recommend more frequent eye exams.
It’s not possible to completely reverse retinopathy, macular edema, and glaucoma.
But good blood sugar management can slow down these conditions. This can keep your vision from getting worse. And there are treatments that can also help diabetic eye disease from getting worse. This might include medications and surgery.
Cataracts can’t be reversed but they can be treated. Cataract surgery can remove cataracts and restore vision. Once a healthcare professional removes a cataract, they put a clear lens in its place, which allows you to see more clearly. Sometimes treatment for other eye conditions — like glaucoma or diabetic macular edema — is more effective after removing a cataract.
Treatment for diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular edema includes medications, like eye drops as well as surgery.
Intraocular eye injections are a treatment option for diabetic macular edema or glaucoma associated with diabetes. Injectable medications such as Avastin, Eylea, or Lucentis help stop your eye from making new blood vessels that can leak fluid into your macula. Sometimes these medications are used to manage glaucoma that’s associated with diabetes. Intraocular steroids and anti-inflammatory medications can also help reduce and control swelling.
Photocoagulation laser therapy is a type of laser surgery to help treat retina problems and macular edema. It involves sealing the blood vessels around the retina that are most likely to start leaking.
If the blood vessels in your retina are leaking a lot of fluid or you develop complications such as a vitreous hemorrhage (bleed in the back of the eye) or retinal detachment, your eye doctor may recommend a vitrectomy. This procedure removes blood from inside your eye as well as any scar tissue on your retina.
There are several things you can do to protect your eyesight if you’re living with diabetes.
High blood sugar levels increase your risk of developing diabetic eye conditions. The risk goes up the longer you have diabetes. Keeping your blood sugar within healthy levels can help protect your vision.
Make sure you get a complete eye exam every year if you’re living with diabetes. Your eye care provider will dilate your pupils and check your retinas to look for signs of diabetic changes.
Exposure to UVA and UVB rays can speed up cataract development. Wear sunglasses that offer protection from UVA and UVB rays (even if it’s overcast).
High blood pressure can cause damage to the blood vessels in your eyes and lead to retinopathy. If you have high blood pressure, use your medication and follow up with a healthcare professional to make sure your blood pressure stays in your target range.
Smoking causes damage to your blood vessels, which can worsen eye conditions like retinopathy. Smoking cessation can help keep your vision healthy.
If you notice any vision changes or unusual symptoms with your eyes — such as pain, frequent redness, double vision, or eye pressure — see your eye doctor as soon as possible.
You’re more likely to develop eye conditions if your blood sugar remains high over time. Keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range helps protect your vision. People who have been living with diabetes for many years are also more likely to develop diabetic eye disease.
There’s no evidence that vitamins can help prevent or treat eye conditions related to diabetes. AREDS2 supplements can help a different eye condition called macular degeneration.
You’re more likely to develop eye conditions if your blood sugar remains high over time. Keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range helps protect your vision. People who have been living with diabetes for many years are also more likely to develop diabetic eye disease.
There’s no evidence that vitamins can help prevent or treat eye conditions related to diabetes. AREDS2 supplements can help a different eye condition called macular degeneration.
There’s a close connection between diabetes and eyesight. Diabetes affects all parts of the body — including the eyes. People with diabetes can develop diabetic eye problems like diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. They’re also at higher risk of developing cataracts and glaucoma. If you have diabetes, you should have a yearly eye exam to make sure your eyes are healthy.
Ada. (2025). Hypertensive retinopathy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). About common eye disorders and diseases.
Glaucoma Research Foundation. (n.d.). Diabetes and your eyesight.
National Eye Institute. (2022). How the eyes work. National Institutes of Health.
National Eye Institute. (2024). Diabetic retinopathy. National Institutes of Health.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. (2017). Diabetic eye disease. National Institutes of Health.
