A 50 year old patient with signs of peripheral neuropathy is found to have diabetes mellitus. He has no ocular symptoms. When would you refer this patient for retina evaluation?

Since the age of the patient is 50 years, it is highly likely that the patient has type 2 diabetes mellitus, which is insidious in onset. Thus, even though patient has no ocular complaints, the fundus examination for retina evaluation should be done immediately. The significance of this problem is highlighted by the finding that individuals with DM are 25 times more likely to become legally blind than individuals without DM. Blindness is primarily the result of progressive diabetic retinopathy and clinically significant macular edema. For Type 1 diabetes mellitus, a complete eye checkup is recommended three to five years after the disease onset. Annual examination of the fundus is recommended in both type of diabetes.