A disease affecting the retina

Diabetic retinopathy is a disease affecting the eye's retina. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

You need a healthy retina to have good vision. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in adults.

When you have diabetes, the disease can change the structure and function of the blood vessels of the retina.

In some forms of diabetic retinopathy, blood vessels at the back of your eye may swell and leak fluid. In other cases, abnormal, new blood vessels may grow on the surface of the retina.

All forms of diabetic eye disease have the potential to cause severe vision loss and blindness.