What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is a vascular disease which causes leakage of blood vessels in the retina. It is common for a small amount of blood, lipid, or other fluid to leak from the blood vessels. These can resolve over time, but if large enough or if they occur in a critical area like the macula, patients can notice blurred vision. Most times diabetic retinopathy will present with no symptoms at all so a yearly dilated eye exam with an optometrist or ophthalmologist is mandatory for all diabetic patients.  

There are often no symptoms in the early stages of disease. As the disease progresses blurred vision can occur, or if it becomes more serious, vision loss can occur.

You may have diabetic retinopathy for a long time without noticing any symptoms. Typically, retinopathy does not cause noticeable symptoms until significant damage has occurred and complications have developed.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy and its complications may include:

• Blurred, double or distorted vision or difficulty reading.
• Floaters or spots in your vision.
• Partial or total loss of vision or a shadow or veil across your field of vision.
• Pain, pressure or constant redness of the eye.

The following are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy -- which occurs when abnormal blood sugar levels damage small blood vessels in the retina (the innermost layer of the eye):

• Blurred vision
• Fluctuating vision
• Distorted vision
• Floating spots

In the nonproliferative stage of diabetic retinopathy, there may be no symptoms if the problem is mild. But as the problem becomes more severe, macular edema may develop. This can cause a noticeable decline in central vision, especially as the swelling increases. An eye exam can detect even the earliest changes, such as:

• Leaking blood vessels
• Retinal swelling (macular edema)
• Fatty deposits on the retina
• Damaged nerve tissue
• Small, balloon-like abnormalities known as microaneurysms