• Dr. Scott Moscow using eye equipment to examine the eyes of a male.


All patients that have diabetes need to have an eye exam at least once per year.

Schedule your exam today.


The leading cause of vision loss for Americans under the age of 74 is diabetes. Optometrists perform the majority of comprehensive, retinal eye exams for patients with diabetes in the United States and are committed to the early diagnosis and treatment to prevent blindness caused by diabetes. As of 2018, 34.2 million people (10.5%) of the U.S. population had diabetes. Of those, 7.3 million people have diabetes but had not yet been diagnosed. Often time, optometrists can diagnose diabetes in patients who did not even know they had it by examining their retina.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when blood sugar, also called blood glucose, is too high.  Blood glucose is the main source of energy and comes from food. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas that helps glucose get into cells to be used for energy. For patients that have Diabetes, their body doesn’t make enough (or any) insulin or doesn’t use insulin well.  In turn, glucose then stays in blood and doesn’t reach their cells.  Over time, having too much glucose in the blood can cause health problems. Although diabetes has no cure, steps can be taken to manage diabetes and stay healthy.

Sometimes people call diabetes “borderline” diabetes. This terms suggest that someone doesn’t really have diabetes or has a less serious case. Nevertheless, “borderline” diabetes still needs to be monitored closely.

The eye and kidney, have some of the smallest and most fragile blood vessels in the body. If someone is going to have damage from diabetes, it’s usually going to happen in the eye and/or kidney first. The eye is easier to monitor than the kidney because the eye is the only place in the body where a doctor can non-invasively visualize blood pumping in veins and arteries. In turn, all patients who have diabetes or “borderline” diabetes need to have a comprehensive eye exam at least once per year. If someone has diabetic damage to the small and fragile blood vessels in the eye, it’s a warning sign to better control his/her blood sugar before diabetic damage happens to another organ in the body such as the brain.

Diabetic Retinopathy


Diabetic retinopathy occurs when these tiny blood vessels in the retina leak blood and other fluids. This causes the retinal tissue to swell, resulting in cloudy or blurred vision. The condition usually affects both eyes. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely they will develop diabetic retinopathy. If left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness.

Diabetic Retinopathy graphic showing difference between an healthy eye and a diabetic eye.

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include:

  • Seeing spots or floaters
  • Blurred vision
  • Difficulty seeing well at night


A comprehensive eye exam is the only way to determine if a person’s diabetes will cause blindness, which is why everyone with diabetes must have a comprehensive eye exam at least once a year. Early detection and treatment can limit the potential for significant vision loss from diabetic retinopathy.

What Causes Diabetic Retinopathy?


Close up of eye with diabetic retinopathy

Optomap Photo of Diabetic Retinopathy

What Causes Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is classified into two types:



Risk factors for diabetic retinopathy include:

  • The longer a person has type 1 or type 2 diabetes, the more likely he or she is to develop diabetic retinopathy, particularly if the diabetes is poorly controlled.
  • Hispanics and African Americans are at greater risk.

How Is Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosed?

Diabetic eye exam


  • Refraction to determine if a new eyeglass prescription is needed
  • Measurement of the pressure within the eye

How Is Diabetic Retinopathy Treated?


In the early stages of non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, regular monitoring may be the only treatment. Following your doctor’s advice for diet and exercise and controlling blood sugar levels with oral medication and/or insulin can help control the progression of the disease.

Injections of Anti-VEGF medication in the eye are aimed at discouraging the formation of abnormal blood vessels and may help slowdown the damaging effects of diabetic retinopathy.  If the disease advances, the abnormal blood vessels can leak blood and fluid into the retina, leading to macular edema.

OCT of Diabetic Retinopathy/Macular-Edema

OCT Scan of Diabetic Macular Edema

Laser treatment (photocoagulation) can stop this leakage. A laser beam of light creates small burns in areas of the retina with abnormal blood vessels to try to seal the leaks.  Widespread blood vessel growth in the retina, which occurs in proliferative diabetic retinopathy, can be treated by creating a pattern of scattered laser burns, called Pan-retinal Photocoagulation, across the retina. This causes abnormal blood vessels to shrink and disappear. With this procedure, some side vision may be lost in order to safeguard central vision.

Our Diabetes’ Specialists: Dr. Samuel Chado, Dr. Michelle Moscow, Dr. Scott Moscow