How Does Diabetes Affect The Eye?

Diabetes is a major health issue in the world. Millions of people suffer daily. Diabetes causes lots of problems around the body including the eye. The most serious eye effect is on the retina, the back part of the eye which converts light into brain signals.

Diabetes affects blood vessels. Many of the vision threatening complications from diabetes are from abnormal blood vessels in the back of the eye on the retina. The blood vessels affected by diabetes in the retina become weak and don’t supply enough blood and oxygen to the whole retina. As a result, the retina signals for new blood vessel growth. These new blood vessels, however, abnormal and bleed and leak. This bleeding and leaking causes swelling in the back of the eye. When the retina becomes swollen, images become blurry and distorted. Left untreated, chronic swelling in the retina leads to permanent damage and vision loss.

But swelling isn’t the only issue that these blood vessels cause. In front of the retina is a jelly-like substance which maintains the structure of the eye called the vitreous. These abnormal blood vessels can start to grow into the vitreous. Bleeding from these blood vessels can cause a sudden loss of vision that persists for some time. But these blood vessels can also cause the retina to detach, killing the specialized cells that transform light into vision. This is when diabetes has hit the most critical stage in the eye.

Fortunately, many treatments and eye procedures can slow/stop the progression of diabetes. With active follow-up and care, good healthy vision can be maintained!

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