Top Eye-Health Risks for People with Diabetes
- Northern Sight Optometry
- Oct 28
- 3 min read
If you’re living with diabetes, protecting your eyes should be just as important as managing your blood sugar. Many people don’t realize that diabetes can quietly affect the eyes long before any changes in vision appear. In fact, diabetes is one of the leading causes of preventable vision loss in Canada.
For our Kleinburg–Vaughan community, our doctors recommend regular diabetic eye exams which are key to staying ahead of potential problems. Here are the top four eye-health risks linked to diabetes and what you can do to protect your sight.
1. Diabetic Retinopathy: The Silent Thief of Sight
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common eye disease caused by diabetes. It occurs when chronically high blood sugar damages the tiny blood vessels that nourish your retina — the tissue at the back of your eye.
In the early stages, you may not notice anything at all. The retina can start developing small leaks or weak blood vessels that aren’t visible without advanced testing like retinal imaging or OCT scans. Over time, these leaks can lead to retinal swelling, bleeding, or scar tissue, which interfere with vision.
Common symptoms (when they appear):
Blurry or fluctuating vision
Floaters or dark spots in your sight
Faded or distorted colours
Difficulty focusing on fine details
2. Cataracts: Cloudy Vision at a Younger Age
While cataracts are a normal part of aging, people with diabetes often develop them much earlier. A cataract is a cloudy area that forms in the natural lens of your eye. Elevated blood sugar can cause the lens proteins to clump and harden faster than usual, leading to blurred vision and glare, especially when driving at night.
You might notice:
Hazy or “foggy” vision
Sensitivity to light or glare
Dull or yellowed colours
Trouble reading or recognizing faces
3. Glaucoma: Hidden Pressure and Nerve Damage
Glaucoma is another eye condition that occurs more frequently in people with diabetes. It damages the optic nerve, which connects your eyes to your brain. The damage is often caused by increased eye pressure or reduced blood flow to the nerve.
What makes glaucoma especially dangerous is that it rarely causes symptoms early on. Vision loss begins in the periphery (side vision) and gradually progresses inward, often without pain or noticeable change until it’s advanced.
The best way to detect glaucoma early is through regular eye pressure testing and OCT scans that measure the thickness of your optic nerve and retinal nerve layers. Without early detection, glaucoma can cause permanent and irreversible vision loss.
4. Dry Eye Disease: More Common Than You Think
Many people are surprised to learn that dry eye disease is common and more severe in people with diabetes. High blood sugar levels can affect the tiny glands that make your tears and oils, leading to less tear production and poorer tear quality.
That combination means your eyes can feel gritty, sore, or watery, especially during screen time or in dry environments. Over time, untreated dryness can cause irritation, blurred vision, or even small scratches on the cornea if the surface of the eye isn’t properly protected.
For for our Kleinburg-Vaughan diabetic patients, we strongly recommend high-quality preservative-free lubricating drops that hydrate and protect the cornea without irritation from additives found in most drugstore brands.
Protecting Your Vision: The Power of Prevention
The key to preserving your sight with diabetes is early detection and consistent care. Every person with diabetes — type 1 or type 2 — should have a comprehensive diabetic eye exam once a year, even if their vision feels perfectly normal.
When you visit Northern Sight Optometry, we offer advanced care that includes dilation, retinal imaging, OCT scans, and a full ocular surface assessment (including evaluation for dry eye disease).
If you have diabetes and haven’t had your eyes checked in the past year, now is the time to schedule your complete Diabetic Eye Exam. Your sight is worth protecting.