Early detection and treatment can reduce the risk of blindness by 95 percent
By: Dr. Saleh Al Messabi, President of Emirates Society of Ophthalmology
Everyone with diabetes is at risk of losing their vision. Patients with diabetes must not underestimate the impact that the disease may have on losing their eyesight.
That means that those suffering from either type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy . To put this in perspective, as many as 415 million adults across the globe have diabetes.
The early stages of diabetic retinopathy usually does not indicate any symptoms. However, the disease often progresses unnoticed until it affects vision. Bleeding from abnormal retinal blood vessels can cause the appearance of “floating” spots. These spots sometimes clear on their own. But without prompt treatment, bleeding often recurs, increasing the risk of permanent vision loss.
According to the World Health Organisation, an estimated 253 million people live with vision impairment, 36 million are already blind and 217 million have moderate to severe vision impairment. 81 percent of these are aged 50 years and over, diabetic retinopathy is among the major causes of these conditions.
By 2040, this will rise to 642 million. Four out of ten adults with diabetes in the Middle-East and North Africa remain undiagnosed. The longer the time that someone has had diabetes, their risk of visual impairment is higher.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy is around 19% of the population. Figures from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) revealed that, in 2017, 17.3% of the UAE population between the ages of 20 and 79 have type 2 diabetes. With over 1 million people living with diabetes in the UAE, the country ranks 15th worldwide for age-adjusted comparative prevalence.
The rapid change of lifestyle across the region has led to striking increased rates of diabetes. People with diabetes are more likely to suffer a condition that may damage their eyesight. This brings to light the
increased need for awareness and to have one’s eyes checked every year, so that ophthalmologists can identify any signs of capillary damage in the retina and prevent long-term damage.
As many as one in three living with diabetes will ultimately develop diabetic retinopathy . Diabetic retinopathy affects blood vessels in the light-sensitive tissue called the retina that lines the back of the eye. It is the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetes and the leading cause of vision impairment and blindness among working-age adults. Diabetic macular edema (DME).
DME is the build-up of fluid (edema) in a region of the retina called the macula. The macula is important for the sharp, straight-ahead vision that is used for reading, recognizing faces, and driving. DME is the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetic retinopathy. About half of all people with diabetic retinopathy will develop DME. Although it is more likely to occur as diabetic retinopathy worsens, DME can happen at any stage of the disease.
Detecting eye problems at early stage can help prevent the development of a more aggressive form of disease. With a high rate of diabetes across the population along with an increased number of undiagnosed patients, it is highly recommended that urgent efforts should be made to improve health education to diabetic patients around severe complications including DME.
