Diabetes is a chronic disease or a perennial metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia). However, diabetes does not only affect the body's blood sugar levels.
The disease can also attack various organs of the body, including the eyes. Eye specialist at Eka Hospital Permata Hijau, dr. Dearaini, said that the eyes are one of the organs that are susceptible to diabetes, because they have very small and delicate blood vessels.
When blood sugar is not well controlled, the blood vessels can be damaged and trigger various disorders, including bleeding. The bleeding can reach the eyes.
"Blood sugar can go anywhere, one of which is to the eyes. This is because in the eyes the blood vessels are very small," said Dr. Dearaini, during a media meeting in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
This condition is known as diabetic retinopathy, which is a complication of diabetes that attacks the retina, the part of the eye that functions to capture light. The severity can vary and has no definite limit.
In the early stages, damage may only be in the form of small bleeding in the form of dots, thinning of the nerves of the eye, or other minor changes. However, over time, the condition can become more serious.
For the advanced or proliferative stage, the body will form fragile and easily broken blood vessels. This will cause more extensive bleeding in the eye and risk significantly impairing vision.
Swelling of the macula can also occur. The macula is the central part of the retina that plays an important role in sharp vision.
If the macula is swollen (macular edema), then vision can become blurred. If it is not treated properly, this condition can be at risk of blindness.
"If it is swollen in the macula, usually you have to inject medicine to relieve swelling," he said.
Therefore, patients with diabetes are also strongly advised to have regular eye examinations to prevent unwanted things from happening to the eyes. Controlling blood sugar properly must also be done, so that eye health is not disturbed.
"If the sugar level remains high, eye damage can continue even though it has been treated," concluded Dr. Dearaini.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
