If left untreated, high blood pressure can cause complications in many other organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys, blood vessels... Similar to diabetes, high blood pressure can cause damage to small blood vessels in the retina. High blood pressure can cause blockage of blood vessels in the eyes, bleeding in the eyes, papilledema... affecting the patient's vision.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of blindness in developed countries and is becoming increasingly common in developing countries.