Diabetic Retinopathy and Regular Eye Exams

You need at least a regular eye exam once a year, more often if there’s some damage in the back of the eye. The exam can consist of photography of the back of the eye, or scans with optical coherence tomography.

Some patients with diabetic retinopathy have perfect vision and no symptoms. That's why regular eye exams are essential.

The OCT, the optical coherence tomography, is a non-invasive test that measures if there’s swelling in the back of the eye.

As diabetic retinopathy progresses, symptoms can include blurred vision, vision loss, floaters in your vision and dark spots in your vision.

Diabetic retinopathy is caused by damage to the small blood vessels located in the retina. The damaged blood vessels can lead to vision problems and vision loss.