Skip to main content


Home » Eye Care Services » Eye Disease Management » Diabetic Eye Disease

Diabetic Eye Disease

Woman with Diabetes, Happy with her eye care

Diabetes is associated with several eye health issues including cataracts and glaucoma, but the most well known diabetic eye disease is diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease that only affects diabetics. It occurs when the fragile vascular network that supplies the retina – the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that helps us see – begins to swell or leak. During the beginning stages of the disease, there may be no noticeable symptoms, so it’s important to have your eyes checked at least once a year, if you have diabetes.

Once symptoms of diabetic retinopathy do develop, they can include: dark or black spots in your visual field, or blurry vision, and it increases over time. This is a result of bleeding at the back of the eye, which prevents a clear image from being transmitted from the retina to the brain.

Whether you have type 1, type 2, or even just gestational diabetes, you are at risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. The longer you have had the disease, the greater the risk. It is essential to keep your blood sugar levels under control to prevent vision loss, and this may require a trip back to your primary care physician.

Treating diabetic retinopathy can include vitrectomy, replacing the inner gel-like substance that supports the eyeball structure, and laser surgery.

Special thanks to the EyeGlass Guide, for informational material that aided in the creation of this website.

x
A letter from Dr. McGuigan

Gone Fishin'

GONE GOLFIN’

April 2022

Dear patients and friends,

I wish to inform you that I will be retiring from Spectrum Eyecare effective April 30, 2022. Since starting practice in 1975, I have had an incredible and rewarding career …

Click here to continue reading!