One of the most concerning long term effects of having poorly controlled diabetes is vision problems. Over time, uncontrolled blood sugar can affect the vision and having regular ophthalmologic examinations is very important for diabetics.

But there is good news.

Many people are heeding this advice and the percentage of people with diabetes who have vision problems is declining. 

In a study of nearly 1,000 Wisconsin residents with type 1 diabetes, researchers found that visual impairment was less common than in previous decades. In diabetes, impaired vision is largely the result of an eye disease called diabetic retinopathy -- a long-term complication caused by damage to the tiny blood vessels supplying the retina. There are some treatments: laser surgery can treat more-advanced stages of diabetic retinopathy, as well as macular edema -- a swelling of the retina commonly seen in people with advanced retinopathy.