Diabetic eye disease has no warning signs. If you have diabetes, make sure you get a dilated eye examination at least once a year.

Finding and treating the disease early, before it causes vision loss or blindness, is the best way to control diabetic eye disease.

Proliferative retinopathy can develop without symptoms. At this advanced stage, you are at high risk for vision loss.

Macular edema can develop without symptoms at any of the four stages of diabetic retinopathy.

You can develop both proliferative retinopathy and macular edema and still see fine. However, you are at high risk for vision loss.

Your eye care professional can tell if you have macular edema or any stage of diabetic retinopathy. Whether or not you have symptoms, early detection and timely treatment can prevent vision loss.

Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes and a leading cause of blindness. It occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels inside the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. A healthy retina is necessary for good vision.

If your eye care professional believes you need treatment for macular edema, he or she may suggest a fluorescein angiogram. In this test, a special dye is injected into your arm. Pictures are taken as the dye passes through the blood vessels in your retina. The test allows your eye care professional to identify any leaking blood vessels and recommend treatment.