Wales Sees Rise in Young Diabetic Retinopathy Cases


A condition that generally affects older diabetics, diabetic retinopathy, has been found to have worryingly doubled in the amount of cases in the past eight years, but also appears to be appearing increasingly in younger patients. With the condition itself being potentially blinding surgeons are having to perform surgery to safe eyesight in people as young as their late teens.

These shocking revelations stem from results found from The Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service for Wales who have noted the increasing amount of younger people with untreated diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. The director of the screening service, Ms Rosemarie Keigwin-Harris describes the results as “very worrying” as patients are increasingly ignoring the warning signs of diabetic retinopathy. Commonly the sight in one eye will deteriorate significantly without the patient acknowledging the problem; it is only when the sight begins to deteriorate in the other eye that they seek medical help. By the time they do seek medical help doctors are then having to perform surgery to try and save the sight as opposed to improving the sight if help had been sought sooner.

The influx of younger patients that Wales has monitored is thought to stem from poor lifestyle factors such as diet but also ill management of their condition. Understandably diabetes can have quite an impact on your life, so it’s not hard to see why younger people aren’t as efficient with their medications and so on. However, they will unfortunately see the consequences of their actions further down the line with the development of things like diabetic retinopathy. To try and help control the situation The Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service for Wales have set up several clinics in which patients can have their eyes assessed for any damage their diabetes may be causing.

10th February 2010

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