Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in North America. The small blood vessels in your retina are susceptible to damage from diabetes. Hemorrhaging, swelling, blood circulation blockages, lack of oxygen can lead to serious damage and vision loss.
As always, prevention is best medicine. A dilated fundus will help determine if your eyes are affected and a proper referral to an ophthalmologist can lead to treatment options such as laser and/or intra-ocular injections which could control and reduce the retinopathy and improve the visual outcome.