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Do All Diabetics Get Retinopathy?

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worriedwart

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Treatment type
Diet only
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diabetes
It says rare on google but just worried i will get it. i am 27 and see a floater in my one eye that looks like a thin piece of black hair. it's been two years since i have gotten my glasses for my nearsightedness. my brother is 24 and he had diabetes since 15 but doesn't have anything wrong with his eyes, my mother didn't either and has diabetes for like 25 years.
 
In answer to your question, NO.
 
No, not all diabetics get eye issues. The best way to avoid them is to get eyes checked regularly and keep blood sugars controlled.
 
Hello @worriedwart You should be getting your eyes checked regularly by your diabetic team, are you attending an annual review ? it's a good idea to also book in for an eye test and get your eyes looked at an opticians too, keeping on top of this is important so any issues get picked up quickly.

Maintaining good diabetes control will ensure you don't get any issues too.
 
Hi @worriedwart

I have been Type 1 for 17 years and have always attended regular eye checks, they've always come back as satisfactory until my latest check which said 'diabetic retinopathy', I'm very much like yourself and tend to over worry but I was reassured by others on here who sometimes have letters that say diabetic retinopathy and then it goes back to satisfactory. It was a massive wake up call let me tell you and I can only echo what the others have said by attending regular checks but most importantly getting those sugar levels controlled....easier said than done sometimes I know, but try not to dwell on something you don't and may not get
 
I got background diabetic retinopathy a few years ago, its very early stages, but tbh my levels have not been great over the majority of my early years. I was told by the consultant that its very common.

However research and cases have been shown that with good control of glucose levels, it can be reversed, consultants don't generally say this, but that's because they don't see many people with good control. So not everyone gets it, early stages are nothing to worry about, but its important to control levels as best as you can, and it is reversible.
 
I had retinopathy when diagnosed I do not have it now good blood sugar control got rid of it .
 

Look, I''ve had the odd floater in the past and it went away. I've also had a few decades if on again off again background retinopathy (no one wants to treat it and it comes and goes with my blood sugar level).

But I'm 57 after 49 years T1, you absolutely should get your eyes checked now. Several decades ago, it was common for diabetics to go blind, now it's very very rare. The reason is partly that diabetic treatment is better (lower blood sugars) and partly that eye treatment is massively better. If you get treatment in time your eyes will be fine. So get your eyes checked now.

Good luck, you're very young, there's no need for diabetes to do anything other than inconvenience your life.
 
Floaters in the eyes are very common but do need checking to make sure they aren't suspicious. I have one, a round one, that has no effect on my vision. I had it checked out to make sure it wasn't a retinal tear. It isn't. It is a vitreous detachment and nothing to do with the retina.
 
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