Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness and vision loss. Diabetic eye disease, caused by diabetes, is a leading cause of blindness and vision loss. Diabetic eye disease refers to a group of eye problems that people with diabetes may face as a complication of this disease. All can cause severe vision loss or even blindness.

Diabetic eye disease may include:

• Diabetic retinopathy — damage to the blood vessels in the retina.
• Cataract — clouding of the eye’s lens.
• Glaucoma — increase in fluid pressure inside the eye that leads to optic nerve damage and loss of vision.

 The National Eye Institute reports that about half of the 16 million people with diabetes in America have at least early sight of diabetic retinopathy. About half of those, or about 700,000, have serious retinal disease. Each year, about 65,000 Americans progress to proliferative retinopathy, the most sight-threatening stage of the disease. Each year, as many as 25,000 people go blind from diabetic retinopathy.

Compared with the general population, people with diabetes are 25-30 times more likely to lose their sight from retinopathy, cataracts or glaucoma. Because of the high risk for eye disease, all people with diabetes age 30 and older should receive an annual dilated eye exam. For people with diabetes younger than 30, an annual dilated exam is recommended after they have had diabetes for 5 years.

Article Courtesy of Prevent Blindness America