Diabetes causes blindness

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the insidious complications that can affect and overwhelm diabetics during the course of their disease. The disease, which affects the eyes, occurs when blood sugar levels fluctuate in the body over time. At its worst, diabetic retinopathy can result in partial or total blindness.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes have a series of complications attached to them, including heart disease, kidney disease, diabetic neuropathy (a condition that affects the nerves and can result in amputation) and ketoacidosis.
According to some medical health experts, as many as 90 per cent of diabetic patients develop diabetic retinopathy due to failure to take their diabetes medication on a regular basis, and poor control of diet .
Thousands of laser treatments every year are carried out for diabetic patients who have retinopathy, both privately and on the NHS. One professor went on record as saying: “All diabetics must examine their eyes once a year as they can still get diabetic eye disease even if the risks of getting it are lower if they control their diet.”