New Delhi, January 14: With a large population of diabetics in the country, diabetes- related blindness is expected to pose a major health threat in future, doctors have warned.
Diabetes damages small blood vessels such as that of the eye, kidneys and nerves. The damage to the eyes is irreversible and has no symptoms. After 15- 20 years of having diabetes even with controlled blood sugar levels, around 60 per cent of people would have some degree of eye damage called diabetic retinopathy.
“ Diabetes- related eye damage or retinopathy is emerging as a major health problem in India. The problem in India is that diagnosis of diabetes is delayed. Thus, people remain diabetic for five years and are not diagnosed. This leads to even newly diagnosed diabetic patients showing some degree of eye damage,” Dr Amit Khosla, secretary, Delhi ophthalmological society, said.
A study by Khosla’s team in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital found over five per cent of new diabetes patients had eye damage. “ We see plenty of diabetes patients with eye damage in our hospital. Many are blind,” Dr Anoop Misra, diabetologist at Fortis hospital, said.
Diabetes- related blindness is avoidable, according to the World Health Organisation.
A study revealed about 17.6 per cent of diabetic people have eye damage.
For a country like India, this number could be huge.
Diabetics run a 25 times higher risk of blindness than non- diabetics.
–Agencies