Diabetics Warned Of Blindness

Thousands of young people with diabetes could go blind before the age of 40, a conference will be told today. The “startling and deeply worrying” findings will be presented at the Diabetes UK Annual Professional Conference at the SECC in Glasgow. It is the UK’s largest with 3000 healthcare professionals due to attend.

The delegates will hear that one in three people with Type 1 diabetes aged between 18 and 30 already has retinopathy, a complication of diabetes that can lead to blindness in later life.

Although retinopathy, a condition affecting the blood vessels supplying the retina, can be treated successfully if caught early, some of the 103 young people in the study had already reached advanced stages of the disease.

The findings raise the issue of inadequate access to retinal screening. Recent statistics showed that 26% of young people with diabetes aged between 12 and 17 have not been screened for retinopathy in the past 12 months. In Scotland it is estimated that 22% of young people were not tested for the disease. Official government guidelines state that all young people with diabetes should receive a yearly screening from the age of 12.

The study also shows a correlation between people not attending their clinic appointments and increased risk of developing retinopathy – 54.3% of those who showed signs of the complication had a history of non-attendance. This raises fears that the current services do not meet the specific needs of young people making them drop out of their diabetes clinics.

Teenagers are already more likely to find it difficult to control their blood glucose levels as the various physical changes of puberty can make them more resistant to insulin.

Poorly controlled diabetes leaves them at increased risk of developing the various complications of diabetes, including retinopathy. There are currently 2.2 million people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK. It is believed there are also 750,000 who have the condition but are unaware of it. More worryingly, the number of people developing diabetes is expected to double in the next 10-15 years.

Dr Ritesh Rampure, lead researcher, said: “The majority of the young people with eye disease had a history of poor attendance at clinics and poor blood glucose control. We need to address the issue of non-attendance to stop people from losing their sight needlessly.”

Douglas Smallwood, Diabetes UK chief executive, said: “These findings are startling and deeply worrying. We have to make sure that all people with diabetes across the UK have access to digital retinal screening.”

People with diabetes are advised to have an examination every year or every two years. If any significant diabetic retinopathy is found treatment may be necessary.