October 29, 2007 

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the United States among adults younger than 75. To recognize and raise awareness about eye diseases associated with diabetes, November is designated National Diabetes Eye Disease Month. Mark Swanson, O.D., associate professor at the UAB School of Optometry, is an expert on diabetes-related eye disease and is available for interviews.

“When diabetics control their blood sugar, they are not likely to experience these eye diseases,” Swanson said. “The problem is that those who do not control their diabetes are not usually coming to the optometrist for an exam. Many times, we don’t see patients until their eye disease has progressed and is difficult to treat.”

Alabama ranks fourth in the nation for percentage of the population with diabetes, with 345,300 people who are aware they have the disease and an estimated 200,000 more who don’t know it yet. In fact, the discovery of an eye disease often leads to a diabetes diagnosis, Swanson said. Retinopathy, which involves changes in the retina’s blood vessels, is the most common diabetes-related eye disease. Although retinopathy cannot be cured, it can be treated through laser surgery (which seals the leaking blood vessels to prevent bleeding into the eye), vitrectomy (which removes a portion of the vitreous, or fluid portion of the eye) or medical injections to reduce further vision loss. Diabetes also can cause cataracts and glaucoma, both of which lead to blindness.

Less than 75 percent of diabetics schedule annual eye exams, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health. Swanson tracks these numbers and says that Alabama, although still a leading state in obesity and diabetes prevalence, is making some progress when it comes to scheduling annual exams.