Who should be screened for diabetic retinopathy?
If diabetic retinopathy hasn't been diagnosed, the American Diabetes Association recommends that:
- People with type 1 diabetes who are age 10 and older should have a dilated eye exam within 5 years after diabetes is diagnosed. Then they should be tested every year.
- People with type 2 diabetes should have an exam as soon as diabetes is diagnosed. Then they should be tested every year.
- People who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes and who are planning to become pregnant should have an exam before they get pregnant, if they can. They should have an exam once during the first 3 months (first trimester) of pregnancy. Further screening depends on the results of these tests.
If your eye exam results are normal, you may need fewer follow-up exams.
People who are pregnant and have gestational diabetes aren't at risk for diabetic retinopathy. They don't need to be screened for it.
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