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Friday, November 14, 2014

National Diabetes Month is November - Set Your Sights on Healthy Vision

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Set Your Sights on Healthy Vision During National Diabetes MonthNov 12, 2014
By: Neyal Ammary-Risch, MPH, MCHES, National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

It may be hard to believe, but diabetes affects more than 29 million people in the United States. That is about one in 10 people! People with diabetes have a lot to consider when thinking about their health, but what might get lost in the shuffle is how diabetes may affect their eyesight. All people with diabetes, type 1 and type 2, are at risk for diabetic eye disease, a leading cause of vision loss and blindness.

Diabetic eye disease isn’t just one disease, but a group of eye problems that can affect people with diabetes. These include cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and the leading cause of blindness in people 20–74 years of age. An estimated 7.7 million people ages 40 and older have diabetic retinopathy and by 2030, that number is expected to increase to approximately 11 million people. Unfortunately, diabetic eye disease often has no early warning signs so people with diabetes might not even know they have an eye disease until it progresses and they start to notice problems with their vision. The good news though is that diabetic eye disease can be detected and treated early. In fact, 95% of severe vision loss from diabetes can be prevented with early detection, timely treatment and appropriate follow-up care.

Read More: Set Your Sights on Healthy Vision During National Diabetes Month

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