Oct. 31, 2023 — Prevent Blindness has declared November as Diabetes-Related Eye Disease Month to educate the public and assist eyecare professionals when discussing the condition with patients.
 
According to a recent study, “Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in the U.S. in 2021,” more than 26% of people with diabetes also had diabetic retinopathy—the leading cause of blindness in adults aged 20-74, the National Eye Institute shares. Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that approximately 37.3 million people have diabetes and 96 million people aged 18 or older have prediabetes. Further, the number of people under age 20 living with type 1 diabetes increased by 45%, and those living with type 2 diabetes grew by 95%.
 
The nonprofit offers a variety of free educational resources on its dedicated webpage, including toolkits in English and Spanish, fact sheets, and shareable social media graphics.
 
“We know that the number of people at risk for vision loss and blindness from diabetes continues to climb,” says Jeff Todd, Prevent Blindness president and CEO. “The time is now to take the necessary steps to help those with diabetes, and those at risk for developing diabetes, avoid significant vision impairment by providing educational resources and promoting access to affordable eye care.”
 
The Focus on Eye Health Expert Series offers two episodes dedicated to diabetes and vision: “Health Disparities and Diabetes-related Eye Disease” features Kristen Nwanyanwu, M.D., MBA, MHS, associate professor of ophthalmology and visual science, Yale School of Medicine, and “Diabetes and Your Eyes” features Neil M. Bressler, M.D., professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and editor-in-chief of JAMA Ophthalmology.
 
To address the negative impact on mental health vision loss or blindness can cause, Prevent Blindness published a video, “Diabetes, Vision Loss, and Mental Wellness,” and the Diabetes-related Eye Disease and Mental Health fact sheet, available in English and Spanish.
 
The nonprofit partnered with the American Diabetes Association to create the Focus on Diabetes video series, designed for consumer audiences with topics like “The Patient Perspective: Diabetes-related Eye Disease,” “Diabetes and Your Eyes ABCs,” “Newly Diagnosed with Diabetes: What You Need to Know About Your Eyes,” and “Introduction to the Diabetes + the Eyes Educational Toolkit.”
 
Debbie Allen recently teamed up with Prevent Blindness for an awareness campaign, the Gr8 Eye Movement, that aims to address gaps in how people understand the risk of developing retinal diseases, including those that are related to diabetes.