Diabetic Screening

Diabetes mellitus or `sugar diabetes’ affects about one person in fifty in the UK. This means that the body cannot cope normally with sugar and other carbohydrates in the diet. Diabetes can affect the eye in a number of ways. These usually involve the fine network of blood vessels in the retina - hence the term diabetic retinopathy.

Temporary blurring

Your vision may become blurred for a few days or weeks while your diabetes is first being controlled. This is due to the swelling of the lens of the eye and will soon clear without treatment soon after the diabetes is controlled.

Cataract

This can occur in two forms: young people with diabetes very occasionally develop a special type of cataract. Although their vision gets worse, it can be restored by surgery; older people with diabetes can be especially prone to developing cataracts. Cataracts can be successfully removed by surgery and usually it is possible to insert a lens implant. However this is unsuitable for some people and you will be told if this is the case.

This picture simulates the vision of someone who has diabetes.