Looking after yourself

• Manage your diabetes, including checking your blood glucose and taking your medication as prescribed.  Visit Diabetes management | taking care of your diabetes | Diabetes UK for more information.
• Go to your diabetes appointments.
• Go for your diabetic eye screening appointments when invited – diabetic eye screening is part of managing your diabetes.  Diabetic retinopathy is treatable, especially if it is found early.
• Go for your eye test with your optician when you are due - diabetic eye screening is different to the eye test that you have at your opticians. 
• Talk to your optician or doctor if you notice any changes to your eyesight.   

• Visit our Keeping Healthy pages to find out more about what you can do to keep healthy.

Signs and Symptoms

Diabetic retinopathy can cause a number of signs and symptoms.
 

Things to look out for:

• Sudden or gradual change in your eyesight.
• Sudden loss of your eyesight in one or both eyes.
• Seeing shapes (floaters) or flashing lights in your field of vision.
• Your eyesight becomes blurred for no reason.
• You have eye pain or redness of the eye.

Talk to your optician or doctor if you notice any changes to your eyesight.  Do not wait for your next diabetic eye screening appointment.   

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