You may experience some blurred vision when the macula (part of the retina that provides sharp central vision) swells from leaking fluid. \”Over 12 years, 353 participants (11.  Such snapshots are often taken to see if the diabetes has begun to damage the eyes. They studied the retinal photographs of 3,000 people, most of whom had diabetes. 

Then they checked records for deaths.  The main things to remember if you have diabetes are to be sure and have a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year.  There is often not even pain as a warning sign of this disease.  This condition is called macular edema. 

People with a type of eye damage known as retinopathy were more likely to die of heart disease over the next 12 years than those without it, according to the team at the University of Sydney and the University of Melbourne in Australia and the National University of Singapore. There are often no symptoms in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy. 9 percent) had incident coronary heart disease-related deaths,\” the researchers reported in the journal Heart. The eyes may carry important early clues to heart disease, signaling damage to tiny blood vessels long before symptoms start to show elsewhere, researchers reported on Tuesday. 

People with retinopathy were nearly twice as likely to die of heart disease as people without it, said the team, led by the University of Sydney\’s Gerald Liew.  There is the possibility of new blood vessels growing on the surface of the retina, which can bleed into the eye and block vision. Retinopathy raised the risk of heart disease as much as diabetes did, they found.  Diabetes is a well known risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death in most industrialized nations and many developing ones.