Diabetic eye disease: symptoms and treatment options
Changes in the retina caused by diabetes. It changes both how often eyes should be screened and how a refractive result is likely to behave, so it is asked about before surgery.
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Quick answer
Changes in the retina caused by diabetes. It changes both how often eyes should be screened and how a refractive result is likely to behave, so it is asked about before surgery.
General educational information about a subject, not an assessment of your own eyes. Suitability and treatment decisions are made by a qualified ophthalmologist who has examined you.
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Diabetic eye disease
Changes in the retina caused by diabetes. It changes both how often eyes should be screened and how a refractive result is likely to behave, so it is asked about before surgery.
Also known as diabetic eye disease, diabetic retinopathy, diabetes and eyes, macular oedema
Questions about Diabetic eye disease
Each answer below is the short version; the question links to the page that carries it in full, with sources.
- How does diabetes affect the eyes?
Diabetes can damage the small blood vessels in the retina, a condition called diabetic retinopathy, and it also raises the risk of cataract and of other eye problems. It can progress without symptoms.
- Can I have laser eye surgery if I have diabetes?
Diabetes does not automatically rule out refractive surgery, but it changes the assessment: the retina is examined carefully, and stability of blood sugar matters because it affects both the measurements and healing.
- Can diabetes cause blurry vision?
Yes. Fluctuating blood sugar can change the shape of the lens and produce temporary blur that shifts as control changes, and diabetic eye disease can also reduce vision. Blur in someone with diabetes deserves an examination.
- What is diabetic retinopathy?
Damage to the small blood vessels of the retina caused by diabetes, which can leak or become blocked, and in more advanced stages grow new vessels. It develops silently, which is why it is found by screening rather than by noticing a change in vision.
All 34 Eye conditions questions, searchable
Related subjects
- Retina and macula conditions
Conditions affecting the layer at the back of the eye, including macular degeneration and retinal detachment. They are a reason for a fuller examination rather than a refraction test.
- Cataract
The natural lens becomes cloudy, so vision loses contrast and sharpness. It is treated by replacing the lens, and the lens chosen at that point is what decides reading and distance correction afterwards.
- Dubai
The emirate where most of the UAE refractive surgery capacity is, and the one most international patients travel to. Licensing, clinic choice and what a quote should contain are the local questions.
- Blurred vision
Vision that is soft or unclear. It has many causes, from an uncorrected prescription to a change inside the eye, and only an examination can say which one applies.
- Eye tests in Dubai
What a routine eye test in Dubai covers, how it differs from the assessment before laser surgery, and when a symptom needs something faster than a scheduled appointment.
- Everyday eye care in the UAE
Routine eye care across the Emirates: what a check covers, when to have one, what the climate does to eyes, and which symptoms are worth acting on the same day.
This page describes what is generally true about diabetic eye disease. It is not a diagnosis, and it cannot say whether a treatment is suitable for you, because suitability depends on measurements taken during an examination.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Eye Health Information Patient information National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (US)
Condition-by-condition eye health information from a US government research institute, written for patients rather than for clinicians.
Used for Plain-language explanations of eye conditions and their symptoms; Healthy vision and screening guidance.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- Blindness and vision impairment Health authority World Health Organization
The WHO overview of vision impairment, including the conditions that account for most avoidable sight loss worldwide.
Used for Framing uncorrected refractive error as a public health issue rather than a lifestyle one.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- The Royal College of Ophthalmologists Professional body The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (UK)
The UK professional body for ophthalmologists, which publishes standards and commissioning guidance for refractive surgery services.
Used for What good preoperative assessment and consent look like.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public Patient information American Academy of Ophthalmology
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- Cataracts in adults: management (NG77) Clinical reference National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK) · 2017
Clinical guidance on when cataract surgery is indicated, what should be discussed before it, and what follow-up is expected.
Used for When cataract surgery is considered appropriate rather than cosmetic timing; What patients should be told before cataract surgery.
Link checked 23 September 2026