CDC Assesses Burden of Eye Disorders in Adults With Diabetes

Eye disorders frequently affect adults aged 45 years and older with diagnosed diabetes, and disorders are more common for those with diagnosed diabetes for 10 years or more, according to a July data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics.

Amy E. Cha, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, and colleagues compared the age-adjusted percentages of adults aged 45 years and older with diagnosed diabetes with cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, or macular degeneration and associated vision loss by years since diagnosis of diabetes.

The researchers found that 32.2, 8.6, 7.1, and 4.3 percent of adults aged 45 years and older with diagnosed diabetes had cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and macular degeneration, respectively. Overall, 9.2, 4.1, 2.2, and 2.1 percent had vision loss due to cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, and glaucoma, respectively. Adults with diagnosed diabetes for 10 years or more were more likely to have each of these eye disorders and to have experienced vision loss due to cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and macular degeneration compared with adults who had diagnosed diabetes for less than 10 years.

"Because eye disorders are a frequent complication from diabetes, the American Diabetes Association recommends that patients with type 1 diabetes have an initial dilated and comprehensive eye examination by an ophthalmologist or optometrist within five years after receiving a diabetes diagnosis," the authors write.

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