Eye Diseases Related to Diabetes

When you hear about type 2 diabetes, one of the issues you probably hear about 
frequently is eye health. Diabetes does have a rather large impact on your eye health, 
leading to a number of different eye conditions and diseases. As long as you manage 
your diabetes, you can also handle the eye conditions, but it is still important to know 
about these diseases.

General Eye Health Information

You should know first that while there is a high risk of eyesight problems and the 
following eye diseases when you have diabetes, you can manage your diabetes and 
hopefully prevent them. These tend to be a higher risk as you get older, so if you are 
diagnosed with diabetes at a younger age, simply follow the diet and take medications 
as prescribed, plus don’t forget routine eye exams. If you fail to do this, all of the related 
eye diseases that can occur when you have diabetes can cause blindness, so it is 
important to get proper care as soon as you can.

Cataracts

The first eye condition you might get if you have diabetes and don’t treat it properly is 
cataracts. These can also be from the aging process, but there is a higher risk with 
people who have diabetes. Cataracts are areas in the lens of your eye that become 
cloudy. If you have a glare constantly in your eye or blurry vision, you might be starting 
to get cataracts. There is surgery for cataracts, so that is the good news. Regular eye 
exams will look for signs of cataracts, especially if your eye doctor knows you have 
diabetes.

Glaucoma

Another eye condition you are at a higher risk for if you have diabetes is glaucoma. This 
condition can also lead to vision loss, but it does have some treatments. With glaucoma, 
there is extra pressure in your eye that is caused by lack of fluid drainage. This can lead 
to nerve damage and ultimately a loss of your vision. There is a much higher risk of this 
occurring if you have diabetes. Aside from vision loss, you may notice watery eyes, 
blurry vision, headaches or eye aches, and halos around lights.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Lastly, there is diabetic retinopathy. This eye condition is one of the most dangerous 
and the most common among women with diabetes. This can cause issues with the 
blood vessels in the back of your eye, leading to possible permanent vision loss as you 
get older. 


