Table of ContentsView All
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Table of Contents
Check Vision
Report Vision Changes
Monitor Blood Sugar
Manage Blood Pressure
Check Cholesterol
Exercise
Don’t Smoke
Frequently Asked Questions
Next in Diabetic Retinopathy Guide
Diabetic retinopathyis a common complication of diabetes (includingtype 2 diabetes) that causes vision problems. By controlling your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol, you can reduce your risk of vision loss due to diabetes.
This article will provide eight tips to help keep your eyes healthy when you have type 2 diabetes and prevent diabetic retinopathy.
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Get Your Eyes Checked Regularly
High blood sugar can damage blood vessels, including the ones in your eyes. If the blood vessels start to leak, it can harm your vision. The resulting condition, calleddiabetic retinopathy,can be halted or sometimes improved, but it’s important to catch it early.
Stay up on appointments to check your vision because the early stages of diabetic retinopathy often have no symptoms. Have a professionaleye examat least once a year with anophthalmologist or optometrist(eye doctor) who is experienced with diagnosing diabetic retinopathy.
If your healthcare provider suggests you come more often, follow their recommendation.
What Is Included in a Compete Eye Exam?A complete eye exam includes taking a picture of your retina (the light-sensing layer at the back of the eye) with a tool called an ophthalmoscope. The optometrist will dilate your pupils first with eyedrops, which may sting slightly.When your pupils are dilated, which takes about 20 minutes, a healthcare provider uses the scope to take pictures of your retina, looking for any damage.You’ll also have an acuity test, which is the one where you read the lines on a chart. Your optometrist will also ask you about any vision changes you’ve noticed. A complete eye exam can sometimes reveal damage even before it affects your vision.
What Is Included in a Compete Eye Exam?
A complete eye exam includes taking a picture of your retina (the light-sensing layer at the back of the eye) with a tool called an ophthalmoscope. The optometrist will dilate your pupils first with eyedrops, which may sting slightly.When your pupils are dilated, which takes about 20 minutes, a healthcare provider uses the scope to take pictures of your retina, looking for any damage.You’ll also have an acuity test, which is the one where you read the lines on a chart. Your optometrist will also ask you about any vision changes you’ve noticed. A complete eye exam can sometimes reveal damage even before it affects your vision.
A complete eye exam includes taking a picture of your retina (the light-sensing layer at the back of the eye) with a tool called an ophthalmoscope. The optometrist will dilate your pupils first with eyedrops, which may sting slightly.
When your pupils are dilated, which takes about 20 minutes, a healthcare provider uses the scope to take pictures of your retina, looking for any damage.
You’ll also have an acuity test, which is the one where you read the lines on a chart. Your optometrist will also ask you about any vision changes you’ve noticed. A complete eye exam can sometimes reveal damage even before it affects your vision.
Tell Your Healthcare Provider About Vision Changes
Tell your healthcare provider if you notice any changes in your vision, like dark spots, blurriness, or “holes” in your eyesight. The earlier your healthcare provider knows about or detects changes, the more they can do to help prevent or minimize damage.
If you see any of the following, make an appointment to see your optometrist right away, as these may indicate that the blood vessels in your eyes are leaking, which can lead to vision loss or blindness:
Monitor Your Blood Sugar
One of the best things you can do to protect your vision (and overall health) when you have diabetes is to be vigilant about monitoring your blood sugar. When it’s controlled, it’s less likely to damage the lining of the blood vessels or cause new, abnormal blood vessels to grow in your eyes.Monitoring your blood sugar includes home testing and lab tests.
Home Testing
If you take insulin more than once a day, you may need to test several times, usually before meals and before you go to bed. If you use longer-acting insulin, you may need to test once or twice a day, before breakfast and at dinner or bedtime. However, if you manage your diabetes with diet and exercise, you may not have to test daily.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the target levels for blood sugar are:
The target levels can vary according to age and other factors, so follow your healthcare provider’s advice for your specific target.
Schedule Tests With Your Healthcare Provider
As long as you are not noticing vision or other health changes, you can generally go to your healthcare provider every three months for ahemoglobin A1C test. This blood test gives an average of your blood sugar levels over the last three months.
The A1C test measures the percentage of hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen) in your red blood cells that is coated with glucose. Your A1C result may also be reported asestimated average glucose(eAG), using the same numbers (mg/dL) as a blood sugar meter:
If your vision is stable, see your eye healthcare provider once a year. If you notice any changes in your vision or health, call them no matter when your next visit is scheduled.
Manage Your Blood Pressure
High blood pressureis common among people with type 2 diabetes.It can affect not only your cardiovascular system but also your vision.
High blood pressure affects the delicate blood vessels in your eyes. If your blood sugar is also high, the vessels may begin to leak and damage your eyesight.Keeping your blood pressure under control will reduce your risk of developing retinopathy.
Check Your Cholesterol
Your cholesterol level is another important factor in lowering the risk of diabetic retinopathy. People with type 2 diabetes and highLDL or “bad” cholesterol(and lipid levels) have a higher risk of losing vision.
Statin drugs, which treat high cholesterol, can lower the risk of developing retinopathy and improve the outlook of people who have already developed it.
High Cholesterol and the Eyes: Signs and Symptoms
Eating a healthy diet has quadruple benefits for type 2 diabetes and retinopathy. Eating lean protein, fruits, and veggies will help you get to and stay at a healthy weight and manage blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels. Each of these lowers your risk of developing retinopathy.
Exercise is another component of getting and staying healthy when you have type 2 diabetes. Experts have noted that physically active people tended to have less severe retinopathy, unrelated to their A1C levels andbody mass index (BMI).BMI is an estimate of body fat that is based on your weight and height.
The link experts see between smoking and retinopathy in type 2 diabetes has evolved.Initially, experts didn’t necessarily see a connection, but now they believe that smoking increases the risk of damage to the eye’s blood vessels, even when there are no symptoms.
Smoking is one of the most harmful activities to your health in general. For people with diabetes, quitting smoking will lower the chance of developing many of the complications associated with it.
Summary
Diabetic retinopathy, which damages the blood vessels in your eyes, is a common complication of type 2 diabetes. It can harm your eyesight or even cause blindness. However, there are things you can do to lower your risk of developing it.
Home and professional blood sugar testing, watching your diet, exercising, managing your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and not smoking are key factors in lowering the chance of damaging your eyesight. Get your eyes checked once a year. Call your eye healthcare provider immediately if you notice changes in your vision.
A Word From Verywell
Diabetes can be a challenge to manage, but there are rewards to following good health principles and your diabetes team’s recommendations. If you get frustrated, ensure you have the support you need if you want to vent.
Today’s monitoring devices and treatments for diabetes, with some help from your behaviors, can go a long way toward reducing the risk of serious complications, including retinopathy.
Advances in diabetes monitoring and treatment make it more possible than ever to control your blood sugar, which will protect your vision. A healthy lifestyle and regular eye exams will also make it less likely that you will have serious damage or vision loss.Learn MoreManaging and Preventing Complications of Diabetes
Advances in diabetes monitoring and treatment make it more possible than ever to control your blood sugar, which will protect your vision. A healthy lifestyle and regular eye exams will also make it less likely that you will have serious damage or vision loss.
Learn MoreManaging and Preventing Complications of Diabetes
According to the CDC, diabetes is the main cause of blindness among people younger than 74, and diabetic retinopathy is the most frequent cause among people of working age.Learn MoreDiabetic Retinopathy: Symptoms, Stages, and Complications
According to the CDC, diabetes is the main cause of blindness among people younger than 74, and diabetic retinopathy is the most frequent cause among people of working age.
Learn MoreDiabetic Retinopathy: Symptoms, Stages, and Complications
An over-the-counter vitamin supplement called AREDs2 has been shown to slow down retinal changes in some people. It was studied for age-related eye disease but may alsohelp with diabetic retinopathy.
Learn MoreVitamins and Supplements for Macular Degeneration
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.12. Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Foot Care: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024.Diabetes Care. 2024;47(Suppl 1):S231-S243. doi:10.2337/dc24-S012American Academy of Opthalmology.Eye exam and vision testing basics.National Eye Institute.Diabetic retinopathy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing for diabetes.American Diabetes Association.What is the A1C test?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Diabetes and high blood pressure.American Heart Association.How high blood pressure can lead to vision loss.Liu L, Quang ND, Banu R, et al.Hypertension, blood pressure control and diabetic retinopathy in a large population-based study.PLoS One. 2020;15(3):e0229665. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229665Atchison E, Barkmeier A.The role of systemic risk factors in diabetic retinopathy.Curr Ophthalmol Rep.2016;4(2):84-89. doi:10.1007/s40135-016-0098-8.North Dakota State University.Eating for your eyes II - diabetic retinopathy: prevention, treatment and diet.Praidou A, Harris M, Niakas D, Labiris G.Physical activity and its correlation to diabetic retinopathy.J Diabetes Complications.2017;31(2):456-461. doi:10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2016.06.027Cai X, Chen Y, Yang W, Gao X, Han X, Ji L.The association of smoking and risk of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis.Endocrine. 2018;62(2):299-306. doi:10.1007/s12020-018-1697-yLiu DW, Haq Z, Yang D, Stewart JM.Association between smoking history and optical coherence tomography angiography findings in diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy.PLOS ONE.2021;16(7):e0253928. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0253928Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Smoking and diabetes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Frequently asked questions about vision health.
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.12. Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Foot Care: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024.Diabetes Care. 2024;47(Suppl 1):S231-S243. doi:10.2337/dc24-S012American Academy of Opthalmology.Eye exam and vision testing basics.National Eye Institute.Diabetic retinopathy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing for diabetes.American Diabetes Association.What is the A1C test?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Diabetes and high blood pressure.American Heart Association.How high blood pressure can lead to vision loss.Liu L, Quang ND, Banu R, et al.Hypertension, blood pressure control and diabetic retinopathy in a large population-based study.PLoS One. 2020;15(3):e0229665. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229665Atchison E, Barkmeier A.The role of systemic risk factors in diabetic retinopathy.Curr Ophthalmol Rep.2016;4(2):84-89. doi:10.1007/s40135-016-0098-8.North Dakota State University.Eating for your eyes II - diabetic retinopathy: prevention, treatment and diet.Praidou A, Harris M, Niakas D, Labiris G.Physical activity and its correlation to diabetic retinopathy.J Diabetes Complications.2017;31(2):456-461. doi:10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2016.06.027Cai X, Chen Y, Yang W, Gao X, Han X, Ji L.The association of smoking and risk of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis.Endocrine. 2018;62(2):299-306. doi:10.1007/s12020-018-1697-yLiu DW, Haq Z, Yang D, Stewart JM.Association between smoking history and optical coherence tomography angiography findings in diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy.PLOS ONE.2021;16(7):e0253928. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0253928Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Smoking and diabetes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Frequently asked questions about vision health.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.12. Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Foot Care: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024.Diabetes Care. 2024;47(Suppl 1):S231-S243. doi:10.2337/dc24-S012American Academy of Opthalmology.Eye exam and vision testing basics.National Eye Institute.Diabetic retinopathy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing for diabetes.American Diabetes Association.What is the A1C test?Johns Hopkins Medicine.Diabetes and high blood pressure.American Heart Association.How high blood pressure can lead to vision loss.Liu L, Quang ND, Banu R, et al.Hypertension, blood pressure control and diabetic retinopathy in a large population-based study.PLoS One. 2020;15(3):e0229665. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229665Atchison E, Barkmeier A.The role of systemic risk factors in diabetic retinopathy.Curr Ophthalmol Rep.2016;4(2):84-89. doi:10.1007/s40135-016-0098-8.North Dakota State University.Eating for your eyes II - diabetic retinopathy: prevention, treatment and diet.Praidou A, Harris M, Niakas D, Labiris G.Physical activity and its correlation to diabetic retinopathy.J Diabetes Complications.2017;31(2):456-461. doi:10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2016.06.027Cai X, Chen Y, Yang W, Gao X, Han X, Ji L.The association of smoking and risk of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis.Endocrine. 2018;62(2):299-306. doi:10.1007/s12020-018-1697-yLiu DW, Haq Z, Yang D, Stewart JM.Association between smoking history and optical coherence tomography angiography findings in diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy.PLOS ONE.2021;16(7):e0253928. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0253928Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Smoking and diabetes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Frequently asked questions about vision health.
American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee.12. Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Foot Care: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2024.Diabetes Care. 2024;47(Suppl 1):S231-S243. doi:10.2337/dc24-S012
American Academy of Opthalmology.Eye exam and vision testing basics.
National Eye Institute.Diabetic retinopathy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Testing for diabetes.
American Diabetes Association.What is the A1C test?
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Diabetes and high blood pressure.
American Heart Association.How high blood pressure can lead to vision loss.
Liu L, Quang ND, Banu R, et al.Hypertension, blood pressure control and diabetic retinopathy in a large population-based study.PLoS One. 2020;15(3):e0229665. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229665
Atchison E, Barkmeier A.The role of systemic risk factors in diabetic retinopathy.Curr Ophthalmol Rep.2016;4(2):84-89. doi:10.1007/s40135-016-0098-8.
North Dakota State University.Eating for your eyes II - diabetic retinopathy: prevention, treatment and diet.
Praidou A, Harris M, Niakas D, Labiris G.Physical activity and its correlation to diabetic retinopathy.J Diabetes Complications.2017;31(2):456-461. doi:10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2016.06.027
Cai X, Chen Y, Yang W, Gao X, Han X, Ji L.The association of smoking and risk of diabetic retinopathy in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis.Endocrine. 2018;62(2):299-306. doi:10.1007/s12020-018-1697-y
Liu DW, Haq Z, Yang D, Stewart JM.Association between smoking history and optical coherence tomography angiography findings in diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy.PLOS ONE.2021;16(7):e0253928. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0253928
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Smoking and diabetes.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Frequently asked questions about vision health.
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