How Often Should a Diabetic Get an Eye Exam?
If you have diabetes, the single most important number to remember is one: at least one comprehensive, dilated eye exam every year. Here's why — and when you may need them more often.
The Short Answer: At Least Once a Year
For nearly everyone living with diabetes, the guideline is a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once every 12 months. Diabetes can quietly damage the tiny blood vessels in the retina, and a yearly dilated exam is how we catch that damage while it's still easy to manage.
It Can Depend on Your Type of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes: the first eye exam is usually recommended within five years of diagnosis, then every year after that.
Type 2 diabetes: because it can go undetected for a while, an exam is recommended right at the time of diagnosis, then yearly.
Pregnancy: if you have diabetes and become pregnant, your eyes should be checked more often, since pregnancy can speed up diabetic eye changes.
And if we ever find early signs of diabetic retinopathy, we'll likely want to see you more frequently than once a year — every 3 to 6 months in some cases.
Why Yearly — Even When Your Vision Feels Fine
This is the part that surprises people: in its early stages, diabetic eye disease usually has no symptoms at all. Your vision can feel perfectly normal while damage is building. By the time you notice a change, the disease is often more advanced and harder to treat. The yearly exam is your early-warning system. It's the heart of our diabetic eye care.
Related: Signs of diabetic retinopathy • What to expect at your exam • Does Medicare cover it?
If you live with diabetes, a yearly dilated eye exam is one of the most important things you can do to keep your sight. Most diabetic vision loss is preventable when caught early.
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