There’s an emerging health crisis in the U.S. with a potential consequence many may not see coming. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that more than 37 million Americans (more than 11% of the population) are diabetic, while 96 million U.S. adults (38% of the population) are prediabetic. For adults aged 18-64, diabetes is the number one cause of new blindness cases.

Prevent Blindness, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving sight, recognizes this alarming trend and has designated November Diabetes-Related Eye Disease Awareness Month.* During this month, the organization provides an array of specific resources to help the public avoid unnecessary loss of vision from diabetes, a chronic metabolic disease involving high blood sugar (glucose).

About diabetic eye disease

Diabetic eye disease is an umbrella term for eye conditions that can result from diabetes and lead to blindness if unaddressed. These include, for example:

• Cataracts (clouding of the eye lens),
• Glaucoma (optic nerve damage from increased eye fluid pressure), and
• Diabetic retinopathy (blood vessel damage in the retina from high blood sugar).

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetes-related eye disease, the likelihood of which increases the longer a person has diabetes.

Updated educational resources

Prevent Blindness offers a number of updated educational resources for 2022.

• Healthcare professionals, health educators, and caregivers can benefit from the upgrade of Diabetes & the Eyes Educational Toolkit, a popular program containing resources such as PowerPoint presentations; social media graphics; a webpage; and fact sheets like the new Diabetes-Related Eye Disease and Mental Health.
• Diabetes & the Eyes also involves a new video series that includes Diabetes, Vision Loss, and Mental Wellness. Other videos include those by the American Diabetes Association’s eye health initiative Focus on Diabetes®, The Patient Perspective: Diabetes-related Eye Disease, and other upcoming productions.
• The patient education webinar Diabetes and Your Eyes: A Conversation Around Patient-Centered Care features a panel discussion between diabetes patients and leading diabetes care providers on such topics as care coordination and patient needs.
• A new episode in Prevent Blindness’ Focus on Eye Health Expert Series of video interviews and articles on diabetic eye disease will be available in November. The new episode features an interview with Yale University’s Dr. Kristen Nwanyanwu, M.D., principal investigator at the Sight-Saving Engagement and Evaluation (SEEN) Lab.

Early detection and treatment vital

Diabetic eye disease can appear without warning and anyone with diabetes can develop it. Early detection is vital, which is why regular comprehensive eye exams are important. 

“Many people with diabetes may not know about the damaging effects the disease can have on vision,” says Prevent Blindness president and CEO Jeff Todd. Fortunately, if caught early, diabetic retinopathy can be treated with laser therapy or medication, and the risk of blindness can be reduced by 90%. 

You can also help prevent diabetic eye disease by effectively managing your diabetes. Some straightforward ways to do this are to:

• Adhere to your medication,
• Eat healthily and stay physically active,
• Avoid excessive weight gain, and
• Avoid smoking. 

Managing blood sugar has been shown to slow the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy, and reduce the need for laser therapy for severe disease.

If you have diabetes, be sure to schedule your annual eye exam. Don’t delay if you’ve noticed visual problems.

*Prevent Blindness. (2022, October 27). Prevent Blindness Offers New Educational Resources for November’s Diabetes-related Eye Disease Awareness Month. https://preventblindness.org/diabetes-related-eye-disease-awareness-2022