CDC study predicts dramatic rise in diabetes-related vision problems

MedPage Today (12/8, Phend) reported that, according to a study published in the Dec. issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology, the “prevalence of retinopathy, glaucoma, and other vision problems related to diabetes” is “projected to rise dramatically over the next four decades.” For the study, Jinan B. Saaddine, M.D., M.P.H., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and colleagues, utilized the “National Health Interview Survey and census data” to project that, “with rising diabetes rates, the number of Americans 40 and older with diabetic retinopathy will triple by 2050,” and the “number of diabetic patients with cataracts and glaucoma will likely double or triple as well.” The projections are based on “a steady increase in the total U.S. population, an increase in the average age of the population, and disproportionate growth in the number of Hispanics and blacks, among whom the prevalence of diabetes is higher than among whites.”