Retinopathy

Blindness is one of the most feared complications of diabetes but also one of the most preventable. Diabetes is the commonest cause of blindness in people aged 30 to 69 years. Twenty years after the onset of diabetes, almost all patients with type 1 diabetes and over 60% of patients with type 2 diabetes will have some degree of retinopathy. Even at the time of diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, about a quarter of patients have established background retinopathy. Treatment can now prevent blindness in the majority of cases, so it is essential to identify patients with retinopathy before their vision is affected.