The number of people that are legally blind or vision impaired as a result of diabetic eye disease doubled between 1996 and 2003. This is one of the findings in a report into the prevalence of blindness by the Vision Impaired Services Providers Alliance.
Diabetes is estimated to affect approximately one in every 100 adult Europeans. While it is known to cause serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and amputation, few people are aware that diabetes may also lead to blindness.
Having diabetes does not necessarily result in sight loss but there is a higher risk that a person’s sight will be affected. Diabetes can affect the eye in a number of ways and usually involves the fine network of blood vessels in the retina, hence the term diabetic retinopathy. In most cases, sight loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented, but it is vital that the condition is diagnosed early so that it can be managed.
Regular eye checks are essential as a person will often not be aware they have a problem until the damage has been done, which may be too late to prevent vision loss.
The National Council for the Blind of Ireland is campaigning on World Diabetes Day to raise awareness of diabetes and the serious complications that can arise as a result of the disease. World Diabetes Day was introduced in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to the alarming rise in diabetes around the world. According to the IDF statistics, every 10 seconds a person dies from diabetes-related causes. In that same 10 seconds, two people develop the disease.
NCBI calls on the government to develop effective national policies for the prevention, care and treatment of the condition which is growing into an epidemic. Diabetes is an expensive condition, with wide-ranging costs for individuals, for families and for healthcare systems. Policy changes and increased funding will be required to curb the growth of diabetes and as a result the increased prevalence of related eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy.