Hidden warning signs of diabetes could be found in your eyes - and could signal an advanced stage of the disease.
While it may be one of the later symptoms of type 2 diabetes to develop, the complications can be debilitating and cause eyesight issues.
Type 2 diabetes is a common condition that causes the level of sugar in the blood to become too high.
It can cause symptoms like excessive thirst, needing to pee a lot and tiredness. It can also increase your risk of getting serious problems with your eyes, heart and nerves.
Sufferers could go on to experience sudden loss of vision or blurred vision, shapes floating infront of your eyes or eye pain or redness.
Issues affecting the eyes are caused by diabetic retinopathy, a complication of the condition itself caused by high blood sugar levels damaging blood vessels that feed the back of the eye, the retina, reports the MailOnline.
Without treatment, it can lead to blindness. But it can take years to get to this stage, the NHS says.
Kyla Black, of Boots Opticians, said: "Eye tests check your vision and whether you need glasses.
"But they also play a vital role in checking for potential serious health conditions such as diabetes."
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
- peeing more than usual, particularly at night
- feeling thirsty all the time
- feeling very tired
- losing weight without trying to
- itching around your penis or vagina, or repeatedly getting thrush
- cuts or wounds taking longer to heal
- blurred vision
Type 2 diabetes is a lifelong condition that can affect your everyday life. You may need to change your diet, take medicines and have regular check-ups.
It's caused by problems with a chemical in the body (hormone) called insulin and can often linked to being overweight or inactive, or having a family history of type 2 diabetes.
