A study in the United States has found the number of people with diabetes who have eye damage is far greater than previously estimated.
Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System and data from the US Census Bureau, the scientists estimated that in 2021, approximately 9.6 million Americans (or 26.43% of people with diabetes) had diabetic retinopathy.
The research… found that 1.84 million people, or about 5% of people with diabetes, had vision-threatening forms of diabetic retinopathy
This compares with the previous estimate – from 2004 – that found 4.1 million people were living with diabetic retinopathy and 899,000 people had vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy.
The research, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, found that 1.84 million people, or about 5% of people with diabetes, had vision-threatening forms of diabetic retinopathy.1
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common microvascular complication of diabetes and a leading cause of blindness among working-age adults.
Reference
- Lundeen, E.A., Burke-Conte, Z., Rein, D.B., et al., Prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in the US in 2021. JAMA Ophthalmol. Published online 15 June 2023, doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.2289.
