Diabetic Retinopathy Symptoms

More than 18 million Americans suffer from diabetes, the chronic disease that inhibits the body's use of insulin. Most diabetic people are at risk of developing some degree of diabetic retinopathy, the eye disease that forms when diabetes damages the blood vessels in the retina.

While symptoms of diabetic retinopathy are often present early on in the disease, they are not usually noticed until significant damage has taken place and complications have arisen. Because diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of new vision loss in people 20 to 74, it is important to detect the disease before it has caused permanent damage.

Early symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include floaters and double vision, which occurs when diabetes affects the nerves that control the eye muscles. A complication of diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, occurs when fluid collects on the macula. This condition surfaces in symptoms that cause difficulty reading or doing close work.

Often symptoms of diabetic retinopathy go undetected until it is too late and vision cannot be restored. Diabetics should be sure to see their eye doctor at least once a year to test for diabetic retinopathy.

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