According to recent research released by the Australian Diabetes Council over 98% of vision loss in people with diabetes can be prevented with optimal management and treatment. Despite there being effective treatment available, nearly 40 percent of Australian’s living with diabetes neglect regular eye examinations with one in three people diagnosed with diabetes admitting to never having had their eyes tested. The research also revealed diabetic retinopathy causes 17 per cent of all blindness and vision impairment and is the most common form of blindness in adults 20 – 74 years.
“In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, there are usually no warning signs. Diabetes can cause progressive damage to the eye’s retina causing the blood vessels at the back of the eyes to swell and eventually leak fluid.” RANZCO Fellow, Professor Mark Gillies commented.
This JulEYE, the RANZCO (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists) Eye Foundation intends to change this alarming statistic and support the efforts of National Diabetes Week (13 – 19 July), by once again encouraging all Australians, and particularly those with diabetes, to have their eyes tested
“Diabetic Retinopathy is a major and often overlooked cause of vision loss and blindness in Australia, with studies showing up to 44% of people living with diabetes will develop diabetic retinopathy at some stage in their lives. JulEYE aims to highlight the link between diabetes and eye health, and urges people with diabetes – no matter their age – to make regular eye checks part of their diabetes management plan.” Jacinta Spurrett, CEO of The RANZCO Eye Foundation commented
According to recent research released by the Australian Diabetes Council over 98% of vision loss in people with diabetes can be prevented with optimal management and treatment. Despite there being effective treatment available, nearly 40 percent of Australian’s living with diabetes neglect regular eye examinations with one in three people diagnosed with diabetes admitting to never having had their eyes tested. The research also revealed diabetic retinopathy causes 17 per cent of all blindness and vision impairment and is the most common form of blindness in adults 20 – 74 years.
“In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, there are usually no warning signs. Diabetes can cause progressive damage to the eye’s retina causing the blood vessels at the back of the eyes to swell and eventually leak fluid.” RANZCO Fellow, Professor Mark Gillies commented.
This JulEYE, the RANZCO (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists) Eye Foundation intends to change this alarming statistic and support the efforts of National Diabetes Week (13 – 19 July), by once again encouraging all Australians, and particularly those with diabetes, to have their eyes tested
“Diabetic Retinopathy is a major and often overlooked cause of vision loss and blindness in Australia, with studies showing up to 44% of people living with diabetes will develop diabetic retinopathy at some stage in their lives. JulEYE aims to highlight the link between diabetes and eye health, and urges people with diabetes – no matter their age – to make regular eye checks part of their diabetes management plan.” Jacinta Spurrett, CEO of The RANZCO Eye Foundation commented