Diabetes can harm your eyes. It can damage the small blood
vessels in your retina, or the back of your eye. This is called
diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes also increases your risk of
glaucoma and other eye problems. You may not know your eyes are
harmed until the problem is very bad. Your doctor can catch
problems early if you get regular eye exams. You Need Regular
Eye Exams Even if the doctor who takes care of your diabetes
checks your eyes, you need an eye exam every 1-2 years by an eye
doctor who takes care of people with diabetes. If you have eye
problems because of diabetes, you will probably see your eye
doctor more often. Sometimes, your doctor may tell you to come
less often. You may see two different types of eye doctors: - An
ophthalmologist is a medical doctor trained to diagnose and
treat eye problems. - An optometrist is a health care provider
trained to diagnose and treat eye problems. Many can do
screening exams for damage from diabetes. Once you have eye
disease caused by diabetes, you will se