by Daniel Parker, RDPFS Contributor:
Eye diseases resulting from diabetes, a condition in which the body cannot regulate its blood sugar levels, are a leading cause of blindness in adults. During this year’s National Diabetes Month, many organizations are publishing resources to increase awareness of the diseases and their treatments. According to the National Eye Institute (NEI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the most common of these conditions is diabetic retinopathy, which impacts one in four people with diabetes over the age of 40. Others include diabetic macular edema (DME), cataract, and glaucoma. The risk of vision loss increases the longer a person has diabetes, but early detection and treatment decrease that risk by 95 percent. The NEI has many educational resources, including a virtual reality (VR) app called See What I See. This app “shows what it’s like to live with vision loss from common eye diseases, including diabetic retinopathy.” Recordings of webinars are also available, including “the Diabetes and Your Eye Health: Advocating for Quality Eye Care webinar. Watch the recording to learn about how diabetes affects eye health and get tips for navigating the health care system, advocating for quality care, and more.” This webinar was produced by NEI and the National Caucus and Center on Black Aging, Inc. Other NEI offerings include podcasts, sample media posts, articles, infographics, and factsheets. Resources from Prevent Blindness include the “Diabetes and the Eyes Educational Toolkit,” which “offers educational materials on diabetes and the impact of diabetes on eye health” in English and Spanish. Prevent Blindness also partnered with the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for the “Focus on Diabetes” video series, which features “a variety of educational videos designed for consumer audiences.” Also check out our past coverage of National Diabetes Month for more information.
