Diabetic eye disease
An eye problem caused by diabetes: high blood sugar damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina at the back of the eye. There are usually no symptoms at first, so it is mostly found at diabetic eye screening. Laser treatment, injections into the eye or surgery can help stop sight getting worse, but lost sight cannot be cured. Keeping blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol under control, and not smoking, lowers the risk.
Read more about diabetic eye diseaseTrial-stage treatments and research studies you can join
Filters
- Testing different doses of BI 3812465 in people with diabetic macular edema
Tests how well adults with diabetic macular edema tolerate BI 3812465 eye injections.
Arcadia, United StatesAlso Austin, Bellaire, Beverly Hills, Cleveland, Eugene, Falls Church, Fargo, Fort Myers, …Age 18+ - Tests BI 764524 eye injections for diabetic retinopathy
Tests BI 764524 eye injections in adults with moderate or severe diabetic retinopathy.
‘Aiea, United StatesAlso Austin, Bakersfield, Beverly Hills, Campbell, Cleveland, Encino, Glendale, Great Neck, …Age 18+ - Tests BI 1815368 tablets in people with diabetic macular edema
Tests whether a tablet medicine helps adults with a diabetes-related eye condition.
Arcadia, United StatesAlso Augusta, Austin, Beaumont, Carmel, Charleston, Cleveland, Dallas, Danbury, …Age 18+ - Compares a trial medicine, MK-8748, with aflibercept for diabetic macular edema
Tests MK-8748 against aflibercept in adults with diabetic macular edema.
Asheville, United StatesAlso Austin, Bellaire, Bloomfield, Bluffton, Carmel, Charleston, Cherry Hill, Cincinnati, …Age 18+ - MK-8748 compared with aflibercept for diabetic macular edema
Compares MK-8748 with aflibercept eye injections in adults with diabetic macular edema.
Aiken, United StatesAlso Arlington, Bakersfield, Beaufort, Beverly Hills, Carmel, Charleston, Fort Worth, Greenville, …Age 18+ - Tests 4D-150 eye injection against aflibercept in diabetic macular edema
Tests a single eye injection, 4D-150, against aflibercept in adults with diabetic macular edema.
Abilene, United StatesAlso Asheville, Aurora, Austin, Bethlehem, Bloomfield, Bluffton, Carmel, Cary, …Age 18+ - Testing RO7823653 eye injections, alone and with faricimab, in diabetic macular edema
Tests RO7823653 injected into the eye, alone or with faricimab, in diabetic macular edema.
Abilene, United StatesAlso Austin, Baltimore, Beverly Hills, Erie, Germantown, Lynchburg, Peoria, Philadelphia, …Age 18+ - Tests RO7663498 eye injections for diabetic retinopathy safety
Tests RO7663498 eye injections in adults with diabetic retinopathy.
Columbus, United StatesAlso Glendale, Oak Forest, San AntonioAge 18+ - Compares tabirafusp tedromer with aflibercept for diabetic macular edema
Tests tabirafusp tedromer against aflibercept in adults with diabetic macular edema.
Amarillo, United StatesAlso Arlington, Austin, Bakersfield, Beaufort, Bellaire, Bellevue, Cary, Charleston, …Age 18+ - Gene therapy surabgene lomparvovec for diabetic retinopathy without central macular swelling
Tests surabgene lomparvovec injected in the eye in adults with diabetic retinopathy.
Augusta, United StatesAlso Austin, Bakersfield, Bellaire, Beverly Hills, Bloomfield, Burleson, Campbell, Charleston, …Age 18+ - Testing oral BGE-102 for diabetic macular edema, alone or with eye injections
Tests oral BGE-102 in adults with diabetic macular edema affecting the center of the eye.
Abilene, United StatesAlso Austin, Bakersfield, Cary, Fort Myers, Glendale, Houston, Ladson, Laredo, …Age 18 to 75 - Tracking Retina Function in Eyes Treated With Anti-VEGF Drugs for Diabetic Macular Edema
Follows retina changes in adults with diabetic eye disease receiving anti-VEGF treatment.
Augusta, United StatesAlso Beaumont, Boston, Detroit, Huntington Beach, Monroeville, Rochester, SewickleyAge 18+ - Eye drops before eye injections to limit pressure rise in retinal disease
Tests apraclonidine drops before injections in adults with retinal disease, checking eye pressure.
Easton, United StatesAge 18+ - Tests stem cell exosomes given by nose for optic nerve damage
Tests stem cell exosomes given into the nose in people with non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy.
Naples, United States - Ranibizumab implant for bleeding in the eye from diabetic retinopathy, during eye surgery
Tests a ranibizumab eye implant in adults with diabetic eye bleeding needing vitrectomy.
Augusta, United StatesAge 18+ - Tests a probiotic supplement in people with diabetic macular edema
Tests Lactobacillus plantarum 299v, taken by mouth, in adults with diabetic macular edema.
Boston, United StatesAge 18+ - Dexamethasone Eye Implant for Diabetic Macular Edema and Its Effect on Eye Inflammation Markers
Tests a dexamethasone eye implant in adults with diabetic macular edema.
Nashville, United StatesAge 18+ - Compares two treatments for proliferative diabetic retinopathy, an eye disease caused by diabetes
Tests faricimab with laser treatment against surgery in adults with proliferative diabetic retinopathy.
Atlanta, United StatesAlso Augusta, Austin, Baltimore, Bellaire, Boston, Carmel, Chapel Hill, Chicago, …Age 18+ - Tests OCU200 for swelling in the center of the retina caused by diabetes
Tests OCU200, a new drug, in adults with diabetic macular edema.
Bellaire, United StatesAlso Deerfield Beach, Erie, La Crosse, SouthlakeAge 18+ - Imaging Retinal Blood Vessel Disease Over Time With Angiography Scans
Uses eye imaging scans to track retinal vessel disease in adults over time.
Baltimore, United StatesAge 18 to 99
Where treatment stands
There is no cure, and sight loss cannot be reversed, but treatment aims to help stop vision from getting worse.
Approved: 4
Officially approved for this disease in the EU, the US, Switzerland or France.
Human testing stage: 12
Being tested in people. Many treatments at this stage are never approved.
Animal testing stage: 3
Worked in animals in a study published in the last 12 months. Most treatments at this stage never reach people.
Placebo: a dummy treatment without the medicine, used for comparison.
Phase 1, 2, 3: the steps of testing in people. Phase 1 checks safety, phase 3 is the last step before approval.
The EU medicines agency (EMA) and its list of medicines in the EU, US prescribing labels (DailyMed, openFDA), the Swiss medicines register (Swissmedic), the French medicines database (ANSM) and the Health Canada drug database, checked on 11 November 2026. Every medicine links to its own official text.
A computer made this list from the official texts: it kept only medicines whose own approval text names the disease, wrote "Who it is for" from that text and checked it against the text a second time. People have not reviewed it yet.
The trials: ClinicalTrials.gov and the EU trials register, as copied into our trial database, checked on 12 November 2026. Every treatment in trials links to its own trial records; the texts are written by AI from them and checked against them by a second AI. People have not reviewed them yet. Placebo, standard medicines used for comparison and procedures are left out.
Phase 3 trials are listed from every country; only some phase 2 trials are listed, so 12 other open phase 2 trials are not listed.
Animal and lab research: studies listed in PubMed and published in the 12 months before 12 November 2026, found by a search for diabetic retinopathy. AI chose the treatments from the study summaries and wrote the texts; a second AI checked each one against its study summary. People have not reviewed them yet. Treatments already in the approved or human testing lists are left out. A result in animals or cells does not show that a treatment works in people.
Not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before you change any treatment.
The approval records under a medicine come from Drugs@FDA and the FDA labels (openFDA) and from the EU medicines agency’s medicine data, with its orphan designations, checked on 13 Nov 2026. A date is the medicine’s first approval, for any use; the quoted text is its approved use as written today.
Support organisations
Patient organisations and helplines in United States, for you and your family.
Diabetic eye disease organisations in United States
- Prevent Blindness
US volunteer eye health and safety organization offering information and programs on glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and more.
General support in United States
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
US national 24/7 free and confidential lifeline for anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, reachable by calling or texting 988 or by chat.
- MedlinePlus
Free, easy-to-read health information service of the US National Library of Medicine (NIH) on diseases, conditions, drugs and wellness.
International organisations
Offer tissue or data
There are three ways to help research move faster.
Approved treatments
5 medicines are approved for diabetic eye disease in at least one of the places we checked. An approval in one place does not mean the medicine is offered or paid for where you live.
Checked on 11 Nov 2026 in the official lists of the US (FDA), the EU (EMA), Japan (PMDA, approvals since April 2004), Switzerland (Swissmedic), France (ANSM, medicines approved in France only) and Taiwan (TFDA). For Canada (Health Canada) and Singapore (HSA) we checked only whether a medicine is sold there, not what for. 3 uncertain matches are left out. Other countries' own approvals were not checked.
“Miracle cure” fact checker
Social media spreads misinformation. Paste what you read here, and we'll tell you whether there is scientific evidence behind it.
What you paste is checked with AI (Anthropic, USA) and is not stored. Please leave out names and other personal details.
Before you pay for anything, ask three things
- Is there a published study in people?
- Can I have the full price in writing?
- What does my doctor say?
“Cures” others already fact-checked
- Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) & Diabetic eye disease
- Curcumin (turmeric) & Diabetic eye disease
- Stem cell treatment & Diabetic eye disease
- CBD (cannabidiol) & Diabetic eye disease
About diabetic eye disease
Sources: NHS, MedlinePlus
An eye problem caused by diabetes: high blood sugar damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina at the back of the eye. There are usually no symptoms at first, so it is mostly found at diabetic eye screening. Laser treatment, injections into the eye or surgery can help stop sight getting worse, but lost sight cannot be cured. Keeping blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol under control, and not smoking, lowers the risk.
What is it?
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye problem caused by diabetes. Over time, high blood sugar damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensing layer at the back of the eye; they can swell and leak. If fluid leaks into the macula, the part that gives sharp central sight, it is called diabetic macular oedema. In the United States it is the leading cause of blindness in adults. Diabetes can also lead to cataracts and glaucoma.
Anyone with diabetes can get it. The risk is higher if you have had diabetes for a long time, if your blood sugar or blood pressure is poorly controlled, if you have high cholesterol, if you smoke, or during pregnancy.
The first signs
At first there are usually no symptoms. Later, you may notice:
- eyesight that slowly gets worse;
- blurred or wavy vision;
- small dark shapes floating in your vision (floaters);
- trouble seeing in dim light.
How doctors find out
It is usually found at diabetic eye screening, where photos are taken of the back of your eyes. An eye test with drops that widen the pupils also lets the eye specialist check for damage and measure the pressure in your eyes.
Current treatment
Good diabetes control and eye screening come first; advanced disease is treated by an eye specialist with laser, regular anti-VEGF injections, a steroid implant or eye surgery.
Will it get worse?
It can, if it is not treated: in the end it can cause sight loss. In the early stage, there are some signs of damage to the blood vessels but your vision is not affected, and you do not need treatment; you are monitored at your regular eye screening appointments. In the later stage, serious changes in the blood vessels can harm your sight, and specialist treatment is needed. Finding it early and treating it lowers the risk of losing sight.
Medicines: what helps, and what to watch for
Managing your diabetes well is important to help stop it getting worse, and it is your best defence against serious vision loss. When it is more advanced, an eye specialist may give regular injections into the eye (anti-VEGF) that lower the damage to the blood vessels, or put in a small implant that slowly releases a steroid medicine to reduce swelling.
Good to know:
- these treatments do not cure the condition, and the problems can come back;
A healthy life helps too
- manage your blood sugar as well as you can; a diabetes course can teach you how;
- make lifestyle changes to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol;
Laser and eye surgery, for some people
Laser treatment can stop blood vessels from leaking. Some people need an operation to remove blood or scar tissue from the back of the eye, or to replace a cloudy lens (cataract).
Is there a cure?
No, it is not possible to cure sight loss caused by diabetic retinopathy. Lost sight cannot be brought back, but treatment aims to stop your sight getting worse.
Sources
Written in plain words by Frontlight from these pages: