RANZCO is shining the light on the sight-threatening outcomes of undiagnosed and unmanaged diabetes during Diabetes Awareness Week, 9–15 July.
People with diabetes are at greater risk of developing diabetic retinopathy – the leading cause of blindness in working age Australians.
Dr Shweta Kaushik, ophthalmologist and RANZCO Fellow, said “approximately 1.3 million Australians are living with diabetes, with 400,000 unaware they have it. Indigenous Australians are 2.9 times more likely to be affected.”
Because diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness she said, “Those with diabetic retinopathy lose independence and mobility. Diabetic retinopathy can result in job loss and isolation.”
Two primary factors put Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations at greater risk:
- Higher rates of diabetes – it is estimated that approximately one in 10 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults diagnosed with diabetes also have vision impairment due to DR.
- Lower rates of screening and access to screening compared with non-Indigenous Australians. Only half of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with diabetes are able to have their annual eye check for DR, and a quarter of those with diabetes will not have a screening test at all.
For all Australians, diabetic retinopathy can be prevented in the same way diabetes can be
A Preventable Disease
For all Australians, diabetic retinopathy can be prevented in the same way diabetes can be:
- Stay in a healthy weight range,
- Don’t smoke,
- Reduce your sugar, fat and alcohol intake, and
- Stay active through increased levels of physical activity.
With DR able to be managed, RANZCO is working hard during Diabetes Awareness Week to encourage members of the community to visit their optometrist for an eye check-up and to follow the steps to prevent diabetes in the first place. The care of a multidisciplinary team – a group of health professionals that could include GPs, optometrists, endocrinologists, diabetes nurse specialists, dietitians and an ophthalmologist – may be necessary to manage DR.
RANZCO’s Vision2030 and Beyond DR Working Group is working closely with experts to investigate appropriate referral pathways so patients with more risk factors are identified earlier on, as well as ensuring those who already have diabetic retinopathy get timely treatment.
