Diabetes and the Eye

Diabetes Mellitus impairs the body's ability to utilize sugars. When not well controlled, diabetes can affect the eye in several ways.

Diabetic Retinopathy affects the delicate retina by causing a deterioration of the blood vessels. The retina is that portion of the eye that acts much like the film in a camera. All light images are carried from the retina to the brain by the optic nerve.

Background diabetic retinopathy is a milder form of disease. Only a few vessels are enlarged and form small balloon-like sacs called micro aneurysms. These leaky vessels cause small hemorrhages and fluid deposits on the surface of the retina. This is the earlier stage of the disease and sight is not seriously affected. If the leakage, however, causes fluid to collect in the center of the retina, known as the macula, straight ahead images can be blurred and a loss of central vision may result. About one half of all diabetics will have some form of retinopathy by 10-15 years of their disease.

It is recommended that diabetics have a yearly examination of the retina by a doctor experienced in treating diabetic eye disease. In some cases, photography may be necessary to locate leaking blood vessels. This technique is known as fluorescein-angiography.