Will diabetic retinopathy make me go blind?

Not if it is caught and treated in time. Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in adults, but most serious vision loss is preventable with early detection, good blood-sugar control and treatment such as laser or injections. The danger comes from leaving it undetected — which is why yearly dilated eye exams matter so much.

Do the eye injections hurt?

Most patients feel pressure rather than sharp pain. We numb the eye first, the injection itself takes only moments, and the procedure is done in the clinic. Any soreness afterwards is usually mild and short-lived. We will talk you through it before your first injection.

Do laser and injections actually work?

Yes — they are proven, standard treatments. Anti-VEGF injections stabilise vision in roughly 9 out of 10 patients with diabetic macular edema and improve it in a meaningful share; laser protects against bleeding and further loss in advanced disease. They work best when started before vision is badly affected.

Can diabetic retinopathy be reversed?

Early damage can sometimes improve, and swelling from diabetic macular edema often reduces with treatment, but advanced damage cannot always be undone. That is why the goal is to detect it early and protect the vision you still have — treatment aims to preserve and stabilise sight rather than promise full reversal.

How often will I need injections or check-ups?

It depends on your stage. Injections are usually given as a planned course (often monthly to begin with, then spaced out as things stabilise), and check-ups range from yearly for mild disease to more frequent for active disease. Your retina specialist sets a schedule for your eyes and reviews it as you improve.

Will controlling my blood sugar fix my eyes?

Good control is essential and slows the disease significantly, but once retinopathy is present, sugar control alone may not be enough — eye treatment is often still needed. The two work together: controlling diabetes protects the results of your eye treatment.

Is diabetic retinopathy treatment covered by insurance?

Diabetic retinopathy care is commonly covered. We offer cashless treatment across empanelled insurers and TPAs, government schemes (CGHS, ECHS, Ayushman Bharat, Haryana Government) and Easy EMI. Our team helps you check what your policy covers before you start.

Which doctor should I see for diabetic eye problems in Gurgaon?

A retina (vitreoretinal) specialist. At Dayal Eye Centre, diabetic retinopathy care is led by our fellowship-trained retina specialist, with OCT, angiography, laser, injections and vitrectomy available under one NABH-accredited roof. Consult with our doctors to arrange a dilated retinal assessment.

Retina Condition

Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment in Gurgaon

If you have diabetes, protecting your eyesight starts with catching diabetic retinopathy — diabetes-related damage to the blood vessels of the retina — before it steals your vision. At Dayal Eye Centre, our retina specialists screen, diagnose and treat every stage of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, using dilated retinal examination, OCT scanning, retinal photography and, where needed, laser therapy, anti-VEGF injections and vitrectomy surgery.

NABH Accredited

20+ Years

1.2 Lakh+ Surgeries

Fellowship-Trained Retina Surgeon

Laser · Anti-VEGF · Vitrectomy

Book a Consultation

Call / WhatsApp +91 81786 39701

Diabetic retinopathy is a medical condition; outcomes depend on the stage, blood-sugar control and individual factors. This page is for information and does not replace a clinical examination.

Retina specialist reviewing an OCT scan for diabetic retinopathy at Dayal Eye Centre

NABH

Accredited multi-speciality eye hospital

20+

Years of specialist eye care in Gurgaon

1.2 Lakh+

Eye surgeries performed at the centre

Retina

Fellowship-trained vitreoretinal surgeon & service

The Condition

What is Diabetic Retinopathy?

Diabetic retinopathy is a serious eye condition that can develop in anyone with diabetes. Persistently high blood sugar damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina — the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye — and over time these vessels leak fluid or blood, or close off, threatening your vision. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in working-age adults, and often the reason vision changes are the first sign someone has diabetes at all.

Why this matters for you: India has one of the largest diabetic populations in the world — an estimated 101 million people are living with diabetes (ICMR-INDIAB, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2023). Studies of Indians with diabetes have found diabetic retinopathy in roughly 1 in 6 (about 16.9%), with sight-threatening disease in around 3.6%.

The reassuring part: with early detection and proper treatment, most serious vision loss can be prevented, which is exactly why a yearly dilated eye check with a retina specialist is so valuable. Explore our full retina treatment services to see how diabetic eye care fits in.

Quick facts

Who is at risk

Anyone with diabetes — type 1 or type 2 — and the risk rises the longer diabetes has been present.

Early disease is silent

Significant damage can build with no symptoms at all, so a yearly dilated eye check is your safeguard.

Most vision loss is preventable

Caught early and treated properly, serious sight loss from diabetic retinopathy can usually be avoided.

Two Stages

Types of Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy progresses through two main stages, and telling them apart guides the entire treatment plan.

Earlier stage

Non-Proliferative (NPDR)

The earlier stage, where retinal blood vessels weaken, balloon and leak, but no new vessels have grown yet. Many people have no symptoms at this stage — which is why screening finds it before you would.

Advanced stage

Proliferative (PDR)

The advanced stage, where fragile new blood vessels grow on the retina. These can bleed into the eye and pull on the retina, causing sudden, serious vision loss if untreated.

Central Vision

What is Diabetic Macular Edema (DME)?

Diabetic Macular Edema is the most common reason people with diabetes lose reading and detail vision. It is a complication of diabetic retinopathy in which leaking vessels cause fluid to build up in the macula — the central part of the retina responsible for sharp, straight-ahead vision.

The result is blurred or distorted central vision. DME can appear during either the NPDR or PDR stage, and it is very treatable when caught in time.

Visual cue — blurred and distorted central vision caused by macular swelling

Symptoms

Symptoms of Diabetic Retinopathy

In its early stages, diabetic retinopathy usually has no symptoms at all — which is the single most important thing to understand about it. As it advances, you may notice:

Blurred or distorted vision

A drop in clarity, or straight lines appearing wavy.

Floaters

Dark spots or strings drifting across your vision, sometimes from bleeding inside the eye.

Sudden vision loss

Particularly in advanced disease, when fragile new vessels bleed.

The early stage is silent — screen yearly. Because significant damage can be present even when your vision still feels fine, routine eye checkups with a retina specialist are the only reliable way to catch it early. If you have diabetes and haven’t had a dilated retinal exam this year, consult with our doctors.

Book a dilated eye check

Diagnosis

How is Diabetic Retinopathy Diagnosed?

For anyone with diabetes, regular eye exams are essential — even with no symptoms. Our assessment may include:

Visual acuity test

Measures how sharply you can see.

Dilated eye exam

Eye drops widen the pupil so we can examine the retina and its blood vessels in detail.

See what a comprehensive eye examination covers

Fundus photography

Detailed retinal images that document changes and give us a baseline to track over time.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

A quick, comfortable scan that detects fluid and swelling in the macula — key for diagnosing DME.

Fluorescein angiography

A dye highlights leaking or blocked retinal vessels, mapping exactly where the disease is active.

OCT and fundus camera at Dayal Eye Centre

Every retina test in one visit

Visual acuity, dilated exam, fundus photography, OCT and angiography where needed — all in-house, so your plan is decided the same day.

Book a dilated retinal assessment

Treatment

Managing and Treating Diabetic Retinopathy

The goal of treatment is to prevent further retinal damage and preserve the vision you have. Your plan depends on the stage and severity — and often combines controlling the diabetes itself with targeted eye treatment.

Approach	What it is for	What to expect
Blood sugar, BP & cholesterol control	Slowing the disease at its root	Working with your physician on targets; the foundation every other treatment builds on.
Monitoring & lifestyle	Early detection and overall eye health	Regular dilated exams; not smoking; a healthy diet — with our eye-nutrition guidance.
Focal laser	Sealing specific leaking vessels	Quick outpatient laser to reduce swelling and protect central vision.
Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP)	Advanced (proliferative) disease	Laser that calms abnormal new vessels to prevent bleeding and detachment.
Anti-VEGF injections	DME and proliferative disease	In-clinic injections (e.g. ranibizumab, aflibercept, bevacizumab) given as a course; brief pressure, not sharp pain.
Steroid injections	Selected DME cases	Reduce inflammation and swelling when anti-VEGF alone isn’t enough.
Vitrectomy surgery	Advanced disease with bleeding or scarring	Keyhole surgery to remove blood/scar tissue from inside the eye and stabilise the retina.

Blood sugar control

Keeping blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol in a healthy range is the most powerful thing you can do — consistently high sugar drives the damage. We work alongside your physician so eye care and diabetes care pull in the same direction.

Monitoring & lifestyle

Regular exams catch problems early; not smoking, managing blood pressure and a balanced diet all support your eyes. See our eye nutrition guidance for practical steps.

Laser therapy

Focal laser seals leaking vessels to reduce swelling, while panretinal photocoagulation treats abnormal new vessels in advanced disease to lower the risk of bleeding and further loss.

Injections

Anti-VEGF medicines are the mainstay for diabetic macular edema and much proliferative disease — in studies they stabilise vision in roughly 9 in 10 patients. In one trial of high-risk early disease, anti-VEGF cut vision-threatening complications from about 20% to 4%. Steroid injections help in selected cases, and injections are given as a planned course, not a one-off.

“Is there diabetic retinopathy surgery?”

For advanced disease with bleeding into the eye or scar tissue pulling on the retina, vitrectomy — keyhole surgery to clear the vitreous gel and stabilise the retina — can restore or protect vision. We assess whether you need it and explain honestly what it can and cannot achieve.

Individual results vary based on the stage of disease, blood-sugar control, how long diabetes has been present, and overall eye health. Treatment aims to protect vision, not guarantee a specific outcome — consult with our doctors for a plan built around your eyes.

Ongoing Care

Ongoing Care and Monitoring

Because diabetic retinopathy is progressive, consistent follow-up protects the gains from treatment.

Regular eye examinations

Annual, or more often depending on your stage of disease.

Systemic health management

Keeping blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol controlled to slow progression.

Lifestyle

Regular activity, a healthy diet and not smoking all support better eye and overall health.

For comprehensive diabetic eye care, our experienced retina team provides personalised treatment to preserve and enhance your vision, including low vision treatment where sight has already been affected. You can also read about Dr. Neelam Khatwani, our retina specialist, for expert guidance on diabetic retinopathy and other retinal disorders.

Cost

Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment Cost in Gurgaon

There is no single price for diabetic retinopathy care, because treatment depends on your stage — from monitoring, to laser, to a course of injections, to surgery. The indicative ranges below help you plan; they are a starting point, not a fixed quote, and your plan is confirmed only after an examination.

Service	Indicative starting range	Notes
Retina specialist consultation	Confirmed at reception	The essential first step
OCT retinal scan	₹4,000 – ₹6,000	Detects macular swelling (DME)
Fluorescein angiography (FFA)	₹3,000 – ₹6,000	Maps leaking / blocked vessels
Retinal laser (focal / PRP)	From ₹15,000	Per session; by extent of treatment
Anti-VEGF injection	From ₹25,000 / injection	Given as a planned course; drug-dependent
Vitrectomy surgery	From ₹51,000 / eye	Advanced disease; final quote after assessment

Payment made easier

Easy EMI (via Savein), cashless treatment across our empanelled insurers and TPAs, and government/PSU schemes are available. Diabetic retinopathy treatment is commonly covered — our team helps you check your policy.

Easy EMI (via Savein)Cashless insurance / TPACGHSECHSAyushman Bharat (PM-JAY)Haryana Government schemes

Consult with our doctors to plan your diabetic eye care Insurance & payment options

Figures are indicative starting points and vary by stage, the number of injections or laser sessions needed, and the drug or lens used. Final costs follow a consultation and examination; insurance/scheme coverage varies by policy.

Why Us

Why Choose Dayal Eye Centre for Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic eye disease is a long-term relationship, not a one-visit fix — so the team you choose matters.

Fellowship-trained retina specialist — leading screening, laser, injections and surgery — you see an experienced sub-specialist every time.

Full treatment ladder under one roof — OCT, angiography, laser, anti-VEGF and vitrectomy on a single NABH-accredited site, with three modular operation theatres.

20+ years and 1.2 lakh+ surgeries — of institutional experience, with special interest in diabetic retinopathy and macular disease.

Coordinated diabetic care — we work with your physician so your sugar control and eye treatment reinforce each other.

Affordable, supported access — with cashless insurance, Easy EMI and government schemes.

Meet Our Retina Specialist

Dr. Neelam Khatwani

MBBS, DNB (Gold Medalist)

Dr. Khatwani completed fellowships in vitreo-retina surgery at H.V. Desai Eye Hospital, Pune and in medical retina at Shroff Eye Centre, Delhi. She has 8+ years of experience treating diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.

Read Dr. Neelam Khatwani’s full profile

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

The questions patients and families ask us most about diabetic eye care. For anything specific to your eyes, a consultation gives the clearest answer.

Protect Your Sight from Diabetes

One dilated retinal assessment with an OCT scan tells you which stage of diabetic retinopathy you have and exactly what your treatment plan should be. Our medical counsellors will contact you — no sales, expert consultation.

Book a Consultation

Call +91 81786 39701

Dayal Eye Centre — 808 B, Galaxy Road, Sector 15 Part 2, Near 32nd Avenue, Gurgaon, Haryana 122001 (just off NH-48, beside 32nd Avenue; nearest metro IFFCO Chowk, Yellow Line)
Phone / WhatsApp: +91 81786 39701 · wecare@dayaleyecentre.in · Mon–Sat 8:30 AM – 7:30 PM · Sunday closed

Medically reviewed by Dr. Neelam Khatwani, Retina Specialist, Dayal Eye Centre · Last reviewed: 29 July 2026 · Editorial Policy

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Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment in Gurgaon