Oct. 30, 2024 — Prevent Blindness has designated November as Diabetes-related Eye Disease Awareness Month. The nonprofit offers free resources including fact sheets, videos, social media graphics, and other educational materials available in English and Spanish.

Key diabetes-related eye diseases include diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema, but people with diabetes also face an increased risk of other eye conditions. According to the National Eye Institute, they are up to five times more likely to develop cataracts and are at double the risk for open-angle glaucoma.

Prevent Blindness has created a range of educational resources, including the Diabetes + The Eyes Educational Toolkit, which provides PowerPoint presentations, fact sheets, and social media graphics in English and Spanish. Additionally, Prevent Blindness presents a series of videos in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association covering topics like mental wellness and diabetes-related vision loss, as well as tips for managing eye health after a diabetes diagnosis.

Other resources include resources for parents and caregivers to support youth with diabetes in protecting their vision, and materials and videos discussing the impact of diabetes-related vision issues on mental health, featuring patient advocates and health care professionals.

“Diabetes can have a significant, negative impact on our eye health, as well as our overall health and quality of life,” says Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “By working closely with health care professionals and adhering to medical advice, we can all work together to protect vision from the damaging effects of diabetes.”