Diabetes Can Lead to Blindness

Robert Gabbay, M.D., Ph.D., FACP, shares that eye disease caused by diabetes “is still the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that eye doctors are often the ones to spot the signs of diabetes. Once a patient verifies with their primary care doctor that they have diabetes, he or she must receive annual eye exams. 

Dr. Gabbay, the chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), shares that patients with poorly controlled diabetes can experience leaky blood vessels in the retina, which increases the risk of blindness. He says, “it can really happen quite suddenly, but the [underlying] process is slow and insidious.”

If you are living with blindness, please contact San Diego Center for the Blind to learn how we can help you regain some of your independence.

Diabetes Can Lead to Leaky Retinal Blood Vessels, Sudden Blindness