Living with diabetes blog  Preventing diabetic retinopathy  By
Nancy Klobassa Davidson, R.N. and Peggy Moreland, R.N. February
4, 2012  According to the American Diabetes Association, if you
have diabetes, you're at an increased risk of eye complications.
Most people with diabetes will get some form of retinopathy, a
disorder of the retina. Diabetes-related eye complications are
the leading cause of blindness in the United States.  But
preventing diabetic retinopathy and other eye complications is
possible. One 10-year study showed that keeping blood glucose
levels as close to normal as possible prevented development of
or slowed the progression of diabetic eye disease by more than
75 percent. And improving blood glucose levels can help even if
blood glucose hasn't been controlled in the past.  Understanding
diabetic retinopathy The retina is the light sensitive tissue in
the back of your eye. It works like a camera, taking a "picture"
and sending that information to the brain via the optic nerve.
Over time,