Australian doctors urge people with diabetes to have regular eye examination

Australian doctors urged people with diabetes to have regular eye examination as study showed a person with diabetes is 25 times more likely to go blind than other people.

With 1.7 million Australians currently living with diabetes, the strain that diabetic related eye disease has on Australian health services is immense, said The Eye Surgeons' Foundation on Monday.

The Foundation issued a statement to mark the National Diabetes Week from July 10 to 16, calling Australians to donate 1 dollar every year to help fund research and treatments to address the alarming rate of diabetes-related eye diseases.

Diabetic Retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and is the leading cause of blindness in working age adults. Over 90 percent of vision loss in people with diabetes can be prevented with optimal management and effective treatment of their diabetes 2, which includes regular eye checks for early diagnosis. The longer a person suffers from diabetes, the more likely they are to fall victim to an eye disease, despite their type or age.

"Diabetes can cause progressive damage to the eye's retina, triggering the blood vessels at the back of the eyes to leak fluid, causing swelling of the retina. 44 percent of people with diabetes will develop Diabetic Retinopathy at some stage in their lives," said Professor Mark Gillies, who specialises in emerging treatments for diabetic eye disease.

Research shows that 40 percent of Australians living with diabetes still neglect regular eye examinations, with one in three admitting to never having had their eyes tested. Effective treatment is available for those who do detect it early.

"In order to reduce the risk of blindness, people with diabetes should not wait for symptoms to occur as there are usually no warning signs. Treatment is designed to prevent loss of vision -- by the time vision is affected, permanent damage may have already been done," warns Professor Gilles.

"The increased incidence of diabetes and the potential for vision loss continues to highlight the need for national collaborative research project into the causes, treatment and prevention of eye disease such as Diabetic Retinopathy." Jacinta Spurrett, CEO of The Eye Surgeons' Foundation said.

"We need to alleviate the suffering and distress caused by eye disease and to do this we need to put the cleverest minds in eye health to work and that takes funding." Endit