Prevent Blindness is Offering Videos, Fact Sheets, Social Media Graphics and PowerPoint Presentations to Educate Public on the Potential Effects that Diabetes May Have on Vision
A recent study, “Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in the US in 2021,” estimated that more than 26 percent of people with diabetes had diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy, the most common form of diabetes-related eye disease, is the leading cause of blindness in adults age 20–74, according to the National Eye Institute.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that approximately 37.3 million people have diabetes, and 96 million people aged 18 years or older have prediabetes. And, new CDC research shows that diagnosed cases of type 1 and type 2 diabetes are increasing significantly among youth in the United States. From 2001 to 2017, the number of people under age 20 living with type 1 diabetes increased by 45 percent, and the number living with type 2 diabetes grew by 95 percent. The longer a person has diabetes, the greater the risk for diabetes-related eye disease.
Prevent Blindness has declared November as Diabetes-related Eye Disease Awareness Month, providing the public with a variety of helpful tools to prevent unnecessary vision loss from diabetes.
