Millions at Risk for Blindness Due to Diabetes- November is National Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month

There are approximately 29 million Americans age 20 and older who have diabetes. Unfortunately, because diabetes can initially cause few symptoms, almost one third of these people do not know they have the disease."This is a tragedy waiting to happen because people with diabetes can develop diabetic retinopathy, a degenerative disease of the retina (the film that lines the inside of the eye) that can lead to blindness," said Dr. Steven Bloom, an ophthalmologist with Bennett & Bloom Eye Centers.

Diabetic retinopathy affects 5.3 million Americans age 18 and older, yet it is estimated that more than one third of those diagnosed with diabetes do not follow the established guideline of having a yearly dilated eye exam. So, as part of November’s Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month, eye doctors across the country are urging Americans with diabetes to get a dilated exam this year, and every year. In addition, pregnant women with diabetes should have an eye exam in their first trimester, because diabetic eye disease can progress more rapidly during pregnancy.

“The longer a person has diabetes, the greater the risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. However, diabetic retinopathy can also appear within the first year or two after the onset of the disease. For some, diabetic retinopathy is actually one of the first signs of having diabetes,” said Dr. Bloom.

High blood sugar levels can weaken blood vessels in the eye's retina causing them to leak blood or fluid. This causes the retina to swell, leading to central vision loss and distortion. Blood sugar fluctuations can also promote growth of new, fragile, blood vessels on the retina, which can break and leak blood into the vitreous (the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the center of the eye). This can cause severe floaters, blurred vision and even blindness. High blood pressure and smoking can also aggravate diabetic retinopathy.

Compared with the general population, people with diabetes are 25-30 times more likely to lose their sight from retinopathy, cataracts or glaucoma. It’s estimated that about 700,000 Americans have serious retinal disease and each year 25,000 people go blind from diabetic retinopathy. “The most important thing to remember is that small changes in vision can be a warning sign for big problems down the road if they are not addressed early. We can greatly reduce these statistics if the disease is caught in time and that’s really the message behind National Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month,” said Dr. Bloom.