The longer a period of time a person has diabetes, the higher the risk is for developing diabetic retinopathy. There are factors that may accelerate diabetic eye disease, including:

• High blood glucose (hyperglycemia)
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• High blood cholesterol levels
• Kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy)
• Obesity
• Family history of diabetic retinopathy
• Smoking

Pregnant women also are at increased risk of vision disorders if they have diabetes, except for those women who develop gestational diabetes, which resolves after childbirth. Pregnant women with pre-existing diabetic retinopathy have an increased risk of vision loss.