Symptoms

At first, background diabetic retinopathy may not exhibit any early warning signs. By the time the patient notices vision changes, the retinopathy is usually far advanced. That is why routine screening exams are recommended. As fluid leaks from the damaged retinal vessels, vision may become blurred. Glasses cannot restore this vision because the retina itself is damaged. Similarly, early proliferative retinopathy may not produce decreased vision or symptoms. But subsequently, bleeding can cause a sudden appearance of "floaters," decreased acuity and sometimes almost total loss of vision.

At some point, macular edema may develop. This blurs vision, making it hard to do things like read or drive. In some cases, your vision will get better or worse during the day.

As new blood vessels form at the back of the eye they, too, can bleed and blur vision. This can range from minor blood spots that appear as dark floaters to severe bleeding with significant loss of vision.

It may take anywhere from a few days to months – or even years – to clear the blood from inside of your eye. In some cases, the blood will not clear.

But even in more advanced cases, the disease may progress a long way without symptoms. That is why regular eye examinations for people with diabetes are so important.