Articles about Eye Health and Disease from 2005


News Release: Diabetic Retinopathy Occurs in Patients with Pre-diabetes


(From Chew E, M.D., National Eye Institute, American Diabetes Association's 65th Annual Scientific Sessions, 2005)


Diabetic retinopathy has been found in nearly 8% of pre-diabetic participants in the Diabetes Prevention Program, according to a report presented at the American Diabetes Association’s (ADA) 65th Annual Scientific Sessions. Diabetic retinopathy was also present in >12% of participants with type 2 diabetes who developed diabetes during the Diabetes Prevention Program. No other long-term study has evaluated retinopathy in a population so carefully examined for the presence or development of type 2 diabetes, according to a news release.

“These findings reinforce the recommendation that patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes should be screened for retinopathy,” said Emily Chew, MD, of the National Eye Institute (NEI), the part of the National Institutes of Health under the US Department of Health and Human Services that funded the study. “We advise good control of blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol as well as regular eye exams,” she said.

“Previous studies have not accurately defined when type 2 diabetes begins, so our understanding of the onset of diabetic eye disease has been limited. Now we know that diabetic retinopathy does occur in pre-diabetes. We’re also seeing it early in the course of diabetes – within an average of 3 years after diagnosis,” said Richard Hamman, MD, DrPH, professor and chair, department of preventive medicine and biometrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, and vice chair of the Diabetes Prevention Program. “This adds to our understanding of the development of retinopathy and suggests that changes in the eye may be starting earlier and at lower glucose levels than we previously thought.”

The National Eye Institute's Informational Page on Diabetic Retinopathy can be found at http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic/retinopathy.asp




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