Diabetic retinopathy often has no early warning signs. As new blood vessels form at the back of the eye as a part of "proliferative diabetic retinopathy" (PDR), they can bleed (ocular hemorrhage) and blur vision. The first time this happens, it may not be very severe. In most cases, it will leave just a few specks of blood, or spots, floating in a person's visual field, though the spots often go away after a few hours.