Diabetes is a multisystem disease that damages large and small blood vessels throughout the body. This damage can lead to many well-known complications such as cardiovascular disease, kidney failure, and stroke, but it can also lead to vision loss and even blindness due to a condition called diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy, characterized by damage to the blood vessels of the retina, is the leading cause of blindness in American adults (Noble and Chaudhary, 2010). Diabetic retinopathy is a very manageable disease, so the idea that so many diabetic patients still suffer from vision loss implies that there is a problem in the care that diabetic patients receive from their health care providers. The following research aims to inform healthcare providers about the comprehensive care diabetic patients need to reduce the risk of vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy; this includes understanding disease progression, diagnosing diabetes and diabetic retinopathy at an early stage, scheduling regular eye check-ups, managing patients' blood pressure and blood sugar, administering treatments laser eye treatments and the appropriate use of rehabilitation services for their patients. Diabetic retinopathy is a progressive disease with four stages: mild non-proliferative retinopathy, moderate non-proliferative retinopathy, severe non-proliferative retinopathy and proliferative retinopathy. In stage two of moderate nonproliferative retinopathy, the tiny blood vessels that nourish the retina are blocked. As the disease progresses, more and more blood vessels become blocked and the retina sends signals indicating the production of more blood vessels. These new vessels break easily, middle of paper......tinopathy. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 298(8), 902-916. doi:10.1001/jama.298.8.902.National Eye Institute. (2012). Diabetic Retinopathy Facts. Retrieved from http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic/retinopathy.asp Noble, J. and Chaudhary, V. (2010). Diabetic retinopathy. Journal of the Canadian Medical Association, 182(15), 1646. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.090536. O'Shea, L. (2010). A practical guide to diagnosing type 2 diabetes. Nurse Practitioner, 39(11), 12-17. Wallymahmed, M. (2013). Encouraging people with diabetes to get the most out of monitoring their blood sugar levels. Journal of Diabetes Nursing, 17(1), 6-13. Wattanakorn, K., Deenan, A., Puapan, S., and Kraenzle, J. (2013). Effects of a dietary behavior modification program on Thai people with diabetes and obesity: a randomized clinical trial. Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research, 17(4), 356-357.