Diabetes and your eyes are more closely linked than most people think. In Thane, we screen and treat diabetic retinopathy early — while it's still silent, and still very treatable.
Diabetes does its damage in small vessels first, and the retina is packed with them. The retina is the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye, and it depends on a dense web of tiny blood vessels to stay healthy. Over years, high blood sugar weakens the walls of those vessels. They begin to leak fluid and blood, and in the worse stages they close off or trigger fragile new vessels that break easily. This is diabetic retinopathy, and it is the leading cause of preventable blindness in working-age adults.
The hard part is that none of this hurts. The retina cannot signal pain, so the disease advances without any nudge to see a doctor. Many people learn they have it only during a routine check, or worse, after their vision has already dropped.
Ask most patients and they will say the same thing: my eyes felt perfectly fine. That is the trap. In its early stage, diabetic retinopathy causes no blur, no pain, no floaters, nothing. Sight stays sharp while the vessels are already leaking behind the scenes. People take clear vision as proof their eyes are safe, and so they skip the check.
By the time vision actually drops, fluid has usually built up at the macula, the central part of the retina, or a bleed has occurred. Treatment at that point works, but you are now repairing damage instead of preventing it. The whole point of screening is to act during the silent phase, when there is still nothing to feel.
Doctors describe diabetic retinopathy in stages, and knowing them helps make sense of why timing matters. In the earliest, non-proliferative stage, the weakened vessels show tiny bulges and small leaks. Often nothing needs treating yet, only closer monitoring. As it progresses, more vessels leak and the retina can swell, especially at the macula, which is when central vision starts to blur.
The most serious stage is the proliferative one, where the retina, starved of oxygen, grows abnormal new vessels. These are fragile and bleed into the eye, and they can pull on the retina and detach it. This is the stage that causes severe, sometimes sudden sight loss. Reaching it is not inevitable. It is what yearly screening is designed to prevent.
In Thane and across Mumbai, diabetes runs through so many households that it can feel routine, almost background noise. That familiarity breeds a dangerous assumption, that if the sugar readings look decent, the eyes must be fine. They are not the same thing. Good control genuinely slows the damage and is well worth the effort, but it does not replace looking inside the eye.
So the message every diabetic needs to hear is simple. Get a dilated retina check at least once a year, even with no symptoms and even with tidy sugar numbers. Make it a habit tied to something you already remember, a birthday, a festival, the start of the year. One appointment a year is a small thing against the risk it guards you from.
Screening is quick. Drops widen the pupil for a dilated fundus examination, so the whole retina can be inspected, and OCT imaging scans the retinal layers to reveal swelling that the eye cannot yet feel. If treatment is needed, it is targeted to the stage. Laser photocoagulation seals leaking vessels and calms the growth of new ones. Intravitreal injections reduce swelling at the macula and can improve central vision. Advanced cases, such as major bleeds or a pulling detachment, are referred for vitreo-retinal surgery.
Dr. Simandhar Baban Sable, MBBS, MS in Ophthalmology, examines every patient personally and gives an honest read on whether you need treatment now or simply careful monitoring. The Thane clinic is near Veer Hospital in Yashodhan Nagar, open Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 8 PM, and shares the practice's 4.9 star rating from over 2,900 reviews. It is CGHS empanelled with cashless and 0 percent EMI, so treatment stays affordable. To book your yearly retina check, call 096993 57676.
Drops widen the pupil for a full view of the retina.
High-resolution scans detect bleeding, swelling or holes.
Laser, intravitreal injections or referral for advanced surgery.
Especially vital for diabetics — regular checks prevent vision loss.
Yes. Early diabetic retinopathy causes no symptoms at all, and clear vision is not proof your retina is healthy. The damage begins silently, so every diabetic should have a dilated retina check at least once a year regardless of how well they see.
Good control is important and does slow the damage, but it does not replace screening. Sugar readings tell you about your blood, not about the vessels inside your eye. Only a retina examination can show whether diabetic retinopathy is developing.
Both are done with numbing so they are far more comfortable than people fear. Laser is applied in short sessions, and intravitreal injections take only a moment after the eye is numbed. Dr. Sable will explain exactly what to expect before anything is done.
It is best thought of as managed rather than cured. Treatment can stop it worsening, reduce swelling and protect the sight you have, and the earlier it is caught the more can be saved. That is why screening during the silent stage matters so much.
Plan for a couple of hours. The dilating drops take time to work and blur your vision for a few hours afterwards, so it helps to bring sunglasses and not to drive yourself home. The examination and OCT scan themselves are quick and painless.
The Thane clinic is near Veer Hospital in Yashodhan Nagar, open Monday to Saturday, 10 AM to 8 PM. Call 096993 57676 to book. It is CGHS empanelled with cashless and 0 percent EMI available.
Consult Dr. Simandhar Sable — book a slot at our Thane clinic today.
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