Diabetes Awareness Month Highlights Importance of Eye Care for Vision Loss Prevention

Tuesday, November 7 2023 | 13 h 46 min | News

November marks Diabetes Awareness Month and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society (COS) wants to educate Canadians on one of the various complications that are associated with diabetes, specifically diabetic retinopathy (DR), an eye disease that can lead to vision loss.

According to recent data, the number of adults living with diabetes worldwide is projected to soar to a staggering 642 million by 2040, underscoring the urgent need for improved diagnosis and management of DR.

“If you have diabetes, early detection of diabetic retinopathy is the best protection against loss of vision,” says Dr. Phil Hooper, president of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society. “Nearly 60 per cent of patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Canada will develop DR within two decades of diagnosis. Therefore, the key to prevention is annual screening for early detection and intervening when necessary.”     

Diabetic retinopathy produces few symptoms until serious complications emerge, which can lead to severe vision loss or even blindness. For this reason, just testing visual acuity during an eye examination does not detect disease. Direct retinal examination by a trained professional, or where this is not possible then systematic evaluation of retinal photographs, is necessary to detect asymptomatic disease when it is most treatable.

To reduce the risk of DR, people with diabetes should regularly take the following actions:

• Keep blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol within the specified target ranges.
• Book a comprehensive eye exam every year, as early detection is the best way to prevent vision loss.
• Follow the specified diabetes regime set by your healthcare team and discuss the barriers that exist to find the best way to take care for yourself.

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that develops when the blood vessels in the retina become damaged due to diabetes. The different stages and types of diabetic retinopathy include:

• Nonproliferative Diabetic Retinopathy (NPDR): This early stage may lead to retinal swelling, retinal deposits, and minor blood vessel leakage in the retina.
• Macular Edema: This condition refers to the swelling of the macula, the central area of the retina responsible for sharp, detailed vision, due to fluid leakage from retinal blood vessels. It is the most common cause of visual impairment in diabetes.
• Macular Ischemia: Vision blurs as small blood vessels in the retina close, depriving the macula of adequate blood supply to function correctly.
• Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy: In this severe stage, abnormal blood vessels grow from the surface of the retina, potentially leading to bleeding, vision obstruction, scar tissue formation, and retinal detachment.

The economic burden of diabetes care in Canada is predicted to reach $5 billion by 2025, with $228 million allocated to indirect costs.

To address this challenge, it is imperative to enhance the efficiency of diabetes care and establish patient-centered, comprehensive models for diabetes management.

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