Over one million Australians have diabetes yet around half of these people are undiagnosed! Optometrists play a vital role in helping to detect diabetes in the early stages when it will respond best to treatment. So what is the optometrist's role in diabetes? What is diabetic retinopathy? Diabetic retinopathy occurs due to damage to the blood vessels in the retina, located at the back of the eye. It is usually a progression of diabetes when it has been present for…