Saving Sight: Evidence-Based Diabetes Care

Diabetes can cause blindness

In a healthy eye, small vessels deliver blood to the retina. The retina sends signals to the brain, and those signals become the images that we see. 

Diabetes can damage those blood vessels, causing them to swell or leak. They can also close off entirely, and sometimes new blood vessels form. This is called diabetic retinopathy and is the number one cause of blindness among working-age adults. 

Four in ten people with diabetes have diabetic retinopathy. Many of them do not know it because the damage occurs slowly, so the problem is not detected until vision is lost. 

Screening for diabetic retinopathy can catch the problem while it is still treatable. 

Screening is quick, simple, and painless. It can save your vision. 

Testing Locations

The locations below have special cameras that can detect diabetic retinopathy. Call the office to schedule an appointment. Select your region below to download a list of locations with cameras.

How It Works

How Often to Get Tested

First exam Follow-up exams
Type 1 diabetes Within 5 years of diabetes diagnosis Yearly if no signs of retinopathy
Type 2 diabetes At the time of diabetes diagnosis Yearly if no signs of retinopathy
Pregnancy and Diabetes (type 1 & 2) Early in the first trimester Follow your eye doctor’s recommendation

More Information on diabetic retinopathy: