Posted by: Eye Health Northwest in Diabetes on November 5, 2025
Every November, healthcare professionals across the country turn their attention to a critical health issue that affects millions of Americans: the connection between diabetes and vision loss. Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month serves as an annual reminder that diabetes doesn’t just impact blood sugar levels; it can permanently damage your eyesight.
Diabetes remains the leading cause of new blindness cases among working-age adults in the United States. Yet here’s the encouraging part: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 90% of vision loss associated with diabetes can be prevented through proper care and early detection.
Keep reading to learn more about Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month and how you can protect your eyesight if you have diabetes.
What is Diabetic Eye Disease?
The term “diabetic eye disease” actually encompasses several different problems that can develop when blood sugar levels damage the delicate structures inside your eyes. When blood sugar levels remain elevated over time, they damage the tiny blood vessels throughout your body, including those in your eyes.
This damage can manifest in several ways:
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetes-related eye condition and the primary cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy develops when the blood vessels in your retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of your eye, begin to swell, leak fluid, or close off entirely.
In advanced cases, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the retina’s surface. These fragile vessels frequently rupture, bleeding into the eye’s interior and causing sudden vision problems.
Diabetic Macular Edema
Diabetic macular edema occurs when fluid accumulates in the macula, the central part of your retina responsible for sharp, detailed vision. This swelling blurs your central vision and can progress to permanent vision loss if left untreated.
Cataracts
Cataracts, while common in older adults generally, develop earlier and progress faster in people with diabetes. Excess blood sugar causes the eye’s natural lens to become cloudy, eventually requiring surgical removal and replacement.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma risk doubles for people with diabetes. This group of conditions damages the optic nerve, often due to increased pressure inside the eye.
When diabetes causes abnormal blood vessels to grow into the eye’s drainage structures, fluid can’t exit properly, leading to dangerous pressure buildup and irreversible vision loss.
Why Annual Eye Exams Matter
The most dangerous aspect of diabetic eye disease is how quietly it progresses. You can experience significant damage to your retina without noticing any symptoms.
By the time you experience blurry vision, floaters, or other warning signs, the disease may have already advanced considerably. Your ophthalmologist can detect early changes in your retina before you notice any vision problems.
During a comprehensive dilated eye exam, your eye doctor examines the blood vessels in your retina, checks for swelling or leaking, and identifies any abnormal new blood vessel growth. Advanced imaging techniques, such as optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescein angiography, enable your eye doctor to visualize detailed cross-sections of your retina and map blood flow patterns that aren’t visible during a standard examination.
Early detection creates treatment opportunities that can preserve your vision. Laser treatments can seal leaking blood vessels and prevent the abnormal growth of blood vessels. Injections of anti-VEGF medications can reduce swelling and slow disease progression.
In advanced cases, surgical intervention can remove blood and scar tissue from inside the eye. All of these treatments work best when initiated early, before significant vision loss has occurred.
Prevent Diabetes-Related Vision Loss
If you have diabetes and haven’t had a comprehensive eye exam in the past year, now is the time to schedule one. Take advantage of Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month to commit to better eye care.
Schedule your comprehensive eye exam at EyeHealth Northwest in Portland, OR, today to review your diabetes management plan with your primary care doctor, and take the proactive steps that can preserve your sight for years to come.
