Can diabetes cause blindness? It's true!

"The elderly in my family has had diabetes for 10 years, and recently he has been complaining that he can't see clearly."

"It's just diabetes, why did the doctor ask me to check my eyes?"

…

When it comes to diabetes, the first thing that comes to mind is to avoid this and that. Few people would associate diabetes with the eyes, but in fact, the two are closely related. So, what is the relationship between diabetes and our eyesight?

Let’s first look at this set of data - according to data released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the number of diabetes patients in China (20-79 years old) has reached 140 million in 2021, ranking first in the world. At the same time, according to the "Technical Service Plan for the Tiered Diagnosis and Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy" issued by the former National Health and Family Planning Commission, the number of patients with diabetic retinopathy (hereinafter referred to as "diabetic retinopathy") in China has exceeded 40 million, and approximately 1 in every 2.5 diabetic patients has diabetic retinopathy [1].

What is diabetic retinopathy? Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common complications of diabetes and is a fundus disease. Since diabetes affects all blood vessels in the body, it can cause vascular obstruction. In the early stages, high blood sugar levels can block the tiny blood vessels in the retina, causing a small amount of leakage, bleeding or macular edema in the microvasculature. There are no obvious symptoms, so diabetic patients often underestimate it. As the disease progresses and the fundus bleeds profusely, diabetic retinopathy patients will gradually experience blurred vision, dark shadows, distorted vision, etc., until they become irreversible blindness. However, nearly 70% of diabetic patients do not receive standardized ophthalmic treatment [2], which has led to a high rate of diabetes-related blindness in China!

Therefore, we recommend that middle-aged and elderly friends with chronic diseases such as diabetes go to professional medical institutions for detailed fundus examinations regularly (1-2 times a year) to prevent problems before they occur. If fundus lesions have already occurred, early intervention and treatment can reduce the damage to the retina and avoid blindness.

Data source:

【1】Guangzhou Daily, "United Nations Diabetes Day | Dongguan Aier Charity Recruits 1,000 High Blood Sugar Patients for Free Fundus Examination"

【2】Notice of the General Office of the National Health and Family Planning Commission on the issuance of the technical plan for the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment of diabetic retinopathy