But new research suggests that a drug to treat high blood pressure may help as well.
A team of international researchers performed several large studies on people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. They found that a pill marketed as Atacand or Ratacand lowered the risk in type 1 diabetics for developing eye damage by about 18 percent.
In those people with type 2 diabetes the medication tended to slow progression of vision loss.
Details on the research are in The Lancet medical journal.
