SymptomsBy Mayo Clinic staff It's possible to have diabetic
retinopathy and not know it. In fact, it's uncommon to have
symptoms in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. As the
condition progresses, diabetic retinopathy symptoms may include:
- Spots or dark strings floating in your vision (floaters) -
Blurred vision - Fluctuating vision - Dark or empty areas in
your vision - Vision loss - Difficulty with color perception
Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes. Diabetic
retinopathy may be classified as early or advanced, depending on
your signs and symptoms. - Early diabetic retinopathy. This type
of diabetic retinopathy is called nonproliferative diabetic
retinopathy (NPDR). It's called that because at this point, new
blood vessels aren't growing (proliferating). NPDR can be
described as mild, moderate or severe. When you have NPDR, the
walls of the blood vessels in your retina weaken. Tiny bulges
(called microaneurysms) protrude from the vessel walls,
sometimes leaking or oozing fluid and blood i