Symptoms and Signs of Diabetic Eye Disease

Doctor's Notes on Diabetic Eye Disease

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. Diabetic eye disease can cause a wide range of eye problems in including a reversible, temporary blurring of the vision to severe, permanent loss of vision. Diabetic eye disease also increases the risk of developing cataracts and glaucoma. Severe diabetic eye disease develops most often in people who have had diabetes for years, and who have had poor control of their blood sugars over time.

Symptoms of diabetic eye disease include mild-to-severe blurred vision, hazy vision, glare from lights at night, and reversible or permanent vision loss. Associated symptoms, such as eye discomfort, abnormal awareness of the eyes, feeling as if something is in the eye, and eye pain or discharge may or may not occur, depending on the underlying cause of the blindness.