The incidence of diabetes is rapidly increasing in China, and the incidence of diabetes in people over 20 years old is now over 11%, with about 90 million patients. Diabetic retinopathy is one of the major complications of diabetes, which damages the vision of diabetic patients and seriously affects their quality of life. Who is at risk for diabetic retinopathy? Diabetic retinopathy can occur in anyone with diabetes. The longer a person’s history of diabetes, the more likely they are to develop diabetic retinopathy. The incidence of diabetic retinopathy is 20% to 50% in people with diabetes for 10 years or more, and 70% in people with diabetes for more than 20 years. Also, poor glycemic control, smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, alcohol consumption, and pregnancy can aggravate the lesions. What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy? Diabetic retinopathy can be asymptomatic at the beginning, followed by a mild loss of vision, and as the disease progresses, vision can become significantly blurred until complete blindness. Some patients may become blind suddenly, mainly because of vitreous hemorrhage; some patients may also experience eye pain and swelling at the same time as they become blind, which may be secondary to glaucoma. Can diabetic retinopathy be prevented? No, even if the patient’s blood sugar is stable and other indicators are normal, the occurrence and development of diabetic retinopathy cannot be completely prevented, but the occurrence of the disease can be reduced or slowed down by the following methods: early diagnosis and treatment: once a patient is diagnosed with diabetes, he or she should go to the ophthalmology department regularly for dilated eye examinations to detect the problem early and treat the lesion in time; diabetic patients should receive regular Eye examination. For those with stable blood sugar control, the fundus should be examined every six months, and for those with unstable blood sugar control, it should be examined once every three months. For diabetic patients with a history of internal eye surgery (cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, vitrectomy, etc.) and existing fundus lesions, the interval between eye examinations should be shortened or reviewed as prescribed by the doctor. Control blood glucose, blood pressure and blood lipids, especially not to make blood glucose and blood pressure high and low, and should use drugs correctly under the guidance of a specialist. Establish confidence in overcoming the disease, develop good habits, do not smoke, do not abuse alcohol, maintain a healthy and positive attitude towards life, and participate in appropriate exercise, etc. What is the purpose of treating diabetic retinopathy? Since diabetic retinopathy cannot be cured, the purpose of treatment is to slow down the development of the disease and protect the eyesight, which is commonly known as good repair and maintenance to make the eyes last longer. Depending on the severity of the lesion, different treatment methods are chosen. What are the early treatment methods for diabetic retinopathy? Early consultation with ophthalmology, early fundus examination, fundus angiography, OCT examination, and timely fundus laser treatment for those diagnosed with proliferative diabetic retinopathy can effectively reduce the rate of blindness.