The leading cause of blindness in Australia isn't glaucoma or cataracts - it's diabetic retinopathy.

Specsavers optometrist Fiona Huq said the disease affects those living with type 1 and 2 diabetes where high blood sugar levels cause bleeding in the back of the eye.

"If you've had diabetes for a long time it puts a lot of stress on the blood vessels at the back of the eye, causing those blood vessels to become very fragile and leak," Ms Huq said.

"In the early stages of the disease you don't even have any symptoms, you have no clue."

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With one in three people with diabetes experiencing the disease and the percentage of people living with diabetes higher in regional areas compared to metropolitan centres, Ms Huq said this was an issue of urgency in a place like Tamworth.

"In Tamworth about five per cent of our citizens are diabetic which equates to roughly 4000 people," she said.

Diabetes is said to affect more males than females with Specsavers data finding a higher proportion of men were referred to specialists for diabetes related eye diseases.

And with the number of people with diabetes expected to double by 2025, now is the time to take action, Ms Huq said.

"The best intervention is early intervention."

While diabetic retinopathy is currently the leading cause of blindness it is preventable and manageable if detected early.

But with GP's not equipped or trained to perform scans of the eye, Ms Huq said it was essential to be booking an appointment with an optometrist.

"We're starting to see that most of our patients are coming back for their regular check-ups but there's still a lot of people we fear we are missing," she said.

"If you're diabetic you should be having an annual eye test."

When the disease is picked up early, treatment involves a change of lifestyle or medication to bring blood sugar levels under control.

"That in itself will help the eye heal and those tiny bleeds that we tend to see will resolve," Ms Huq said.

But if the disease is caught at a later stage, patients will be referred to an eye specialist who will administer laser eye treatment or injections.

Ms Huq said it was also important for family members of those living with diabetes to get regular check-ups in case the condition is hereditary.

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