Video: Can I go blind from diabetic retinopathy?

Here I answer the question of whether you can go blind from diabetic retinopathy.

The short answer is: Yes. And that’s the worry; that people do and have done, and have lost their vision. Unfortunately, it’s one of those conditions which can lead to total blindness.

If you don’t see a doctor or an optometrist or anyone who can diagnose diabetic retinopathy, you are at risk of losing your vision in the long term. It does depend on how well you are controlled and what you have any other associated conditions.

But if you come and see me, I can reassure you that diabetic retinopathy can be graded and we can do the necessary imaging techniques to make sure there’s no significant leakage. I’ll discuss the lifestyle changes that you need to employ to reduce the chance of losing your vision. And thankfully – because people are more educated about the condition and the awareness is much higher – we have reduced the number of people going blind in the developed world and hope to do so.

If you’ve got any further concerns and you’re at all worried, then I would urge you to come and see me and make an appointment. You can ring the number at the end of the video and make an appointment in the clinic to see me.

About Jaheed Khan

My name is Jaheed Khan and I am a Consultant Eye Surgeon at Moorfields Eye Hospital and Clinica London.

My special expertise is in cataract surgery and conditions affecting the back of the eye, the retina, including AMD (Age Related Macular Degeneration), diabetic retinopathy, and various other diseases of the retina.

I have over 15 years experience in treating people with eye problems just like you, and have published extensively in scientific journals about treating eye conditions.

In my NHS practice, I am responsible day-to-day for the training of the eye surgeons of the future.