Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people from the ages of 20 to 74 in this country. About half of the nation's estimated 16 million people with diabetes have at least the early signs of diabetic retinopathy.
In diabetic retinopathy, blood vessels swell and leak fluid in the retina, the tissue that lines the back of the eye. In some cases, abnormal blood vessels grow on the retina. These vessels can bleed into the tissue, and in some advanced cases, cause the retina to detach. As the disease progresses, the central part of the retina, which is crucial to vision, may swell. These changes may lead to vision loss and blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy has no early warning symptoms. It can be detected only by a comprehensive eye examination in which the pupils are dilated. The most important step people with diabetes can take to prevent blindness is to have a dilated eye exam at least once a year to find out if there are any changes that could lead to vision loss.
Another important reason to have frequent eye exams is that treatment with a laser has to be performed at a certain stage in the disease to be most effective. Research supported by the NEI has shown that early detection and timely treatment is 95 percent effective in preventing severe vision loss brought on by diabetic retinopathy.
Although many people with diabetic retinopathy will never progress to the most serious form of the disease, frequent testing will enable the doctor to monitor the patient's condition closely and thus determine the best time to do laser treatment. Since most people do not develop any visual impairment until the disease has progressed considerably, delaying an eye exam until symptoms occur can result in permanent loss of vision.
"During the last 25 years, researchers have made great progress in managing and treating diabetic eye disease," says Dr. Carl Kupfer, NEI director. "Most people with diabetes do not have to expect blindness as a natural progression of their disease, if they receive regular, complete dilated eye examinations. An annual dilated eye exam is one of the best ways people with diabetes can prevent blindness and preserve their vision for life."
Be HEALTHWise...
If you have diabetes and haven't had a dilated eye exam this year, make an appointment to have one during November, National Diabetes Month.
If you know someone with diabetes, encourage him or her to have a dilated eye exam if they're overdue.--an NIH HEALTHWise report, November/December 1996
People with diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind than people without diabetes.
More than half of all people with diabetes will develop some degree of diabetic eye disease.
Early detection and timely treatment of diabetic eye disease can reduce your risk of vision loss and blindness.
National Eye Institute Information Office 301-496-5248 For more information on diabetic eye disease and to obtain publications, please contact: National Eye Institute Information Office 301-496-5248
For more information on diabetic eye disease and to obtain publications, please contact: National Eye Institute Information Office 301-496-5248
