The War with Diabetic Retinopathy Isn’t Over Yet


Many scientists and research projects are dedicated to improving diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy and many people have benefited from this. However, with the characteristics of diabetic retinopathy often going unnoticed for a considerable amount of time, and with many people undiagnosed with their diabetes, many people are still suffering from the disease with their sight unnecessarily suffering due to this.

According to Dr Thomas Lee of The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital in Los Angeles the firm grasp diabetic retinopathy has on the world has still not released its hold. In the United States alone, diabetic retinopathy remains the leading cause of blindness in adults with 24,000 of them becoming blind each year. The worrying fact still remains in the statistics that show that of the people diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, 90% of these will develop diabetic retinopathy on some level. Whilst Dr. Lee was analysing the latest statistics he also observed that whilst the development of diabetes is slowly reducing in the white population it is still rapidly increasing in the Hispanic one. If the current trend does continue, in 40 years times, almost half of the Hispanic population born in 2000 will have developed diabetes.

Due to the nature of diabetic retinopathy it can easily go undetected for some time particularly if the diabetes sufferer doesn’t have regular eye examinations. However, with regular eye tests the disease could be picked up much more efficiently and treated accordingly in patients who are both suffering from diabetes and those at risk of developing the disease. If found early enough the patients risk of blindness can be reduced by up to 90% allowing them to lead an almost visually perfect life. Thus, whilst scientists and researchers continue to stagger us with their latest designs and investigations it is clear that we are far from a world in which diabetic retinopathy is a minor issue. However, one thing remains a constant throughout all the research projects and so on; that the patient’s importance of eye examinations on a regular basis is crucial.

15th February 2010

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