I just got diagnosed with diabetes. When should my eyes be checked?

Soon after diagnosis for type 2, and on the schedule your doctors set from there — usually yearly.

Can diabetic retinopathy be reversed?

Early changes can stabilize with blood sugar control; later stages are treated with injections or laser by retina specialists. Either way, early detection drives the outcome.

Does good blood sugar mean I can skip exams?

No — it lowers risk but doesn’t remove it. The yearly exam stays.

What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy?

In the early, most treatable stages, none. Later: blurred vision that comes and goes with blood sugar, trouble reading, dark floating spots or cobweb streaks when fragile vessels bleed, and a blurred or empty area in the center of vision when the macula swells. Waiting for symptoms means waiting for damage, which is the case for the yearly dilated diabetic exam.

What are the stages of diabetic retinopathy?

Non-proliferative retinopathy (mild to severe) is the early phase: small vessels leak, swell and close off. Proliferative retinopathy is the advanced phase: the starved retina grows fragile new vessels that bleed and scar. Diabetic macular edema, swelling of the central retina, can occur at any stage and is the usual cause of blurred vision. Each stage sets its own follow-up interval, as often as every two to four months in later stages.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Kevin Cohenmehr, OD Last reviewed October 24, 2026

Diabetic Retinopathy: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

High blood sugar, small vessels, silent damage.

Diabetic retinopathy is what prolonged high blood sugar does to the retina’s small blood vessels: they leak, swell and close off. It is a leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults — and in its treatable early stages it usually causes no symptoms at all.

Book appointmentOr call 310-828-2010 Accepted insurance

A retinal photograph showing the vessels

Cause: Vessel damage from diabetes
Early symptoms: Usually none
The defense: Annual dilated exams
Led by: Dr. Kevin Cohenmehr

Later-stage warning signs

New floaters or dark strands
Blurred or fluctuating vision
Dark or empty patches in the field of view
Trouble reading that glasses don’t fix

Don’t wait for symptoms

By the time retinopathy is noticeable, it is advanced. The annual dilated exam exists precisely because the early, treatable stages are silent.

The diabetic eye exam →

Care

Caught early, managed together.

Dilated retinal examinations with retinal photography for baseline and progression tracking
OCT imaging to detect swelling (macular edema), thinning or structural change
Findings reported to your physician or endocrinologist, because blood sugar control is the other half of treatment
Prompt referral to retina specialists for injections or laser when the stage calls for it

The schedule

Yearly exams protect working vision.

Every year for most people with diabetes
More often once changes appear
Same-day visits for sudden floaters or vision change

Book a diabetic eye exam

Common questions

Diabetic retinopathy, answered.

Anything else, call the office at 310-828-2010.

Soon after diagnosis for type 2, and on the schedule your doctors set from there — usually yearly.
Early changes can stabilize with blood sugar control; later stages are treated with injections or laser by retina specialists. Either way, early detection drives the outcome.
No — it lowers risk but doesn’t remove it. The yearly exam stays.
In the early, most treatable stages, none. Later: blurred vision that comes and goes with blood sugar, trouble reading, dark floating spots or cobweb streaks when fragile vessels bleed, and a blurred or empty area in the center of vision when the macula swells. Waiting for symptoms means waiting for damage, which is the case for the yearly dilated diabetic exam.
Non-proliferative retinopathy (mild to severe) is the early phase: small vessels leak, swell and close off. Proliferative retinopathy is the advanced phase: the starved retina grows fragile new vessels that bleed and scar. Diabetic macular edema, swelling of the central retina, can occur at any stage and is the usual cause of blurred vision. Each stage sets its own follow-up interval, as often as every two to four months in later stages.

Also consider

Next step

Protect your retina this year.

Book the annual exam with a Los Angeles optometrist — your physician gets the report, and you get certainty.

Book Today Or call 310-828-2010