Study suggests that diabetics are unaware of eye health risks

PINELLAS PARK, Fla. Fewer than 40% of consumers with diabetes are fully aware about eye health risks, according to recent consumer research conducted by Transitions Optical.

The study revealed that less than 40% of the population surveyed correctly identified vision issues as possible complications of diabetes.

"Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions worldwide,” stated Susan Stenson, global medical director at Transitions Optical. “Aside from its direct effects in decreasing visual acuity and causing blindness, diabetes can also significantly impact quality of vision by reducing contrast sensitivity and accentuating glare,” she said. “While the major recognized direct ocular complication of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, diabetes also appears to increase susceptibility to a number of common vision-threatening diseases, such as cataract, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Furthermore, diabetics may be at a higher risk for the development of UVR-related ocular diseases."

Additional findings from Transitions Optical and the World Health Organization include the fact that as many as 45% of diabetics do not receive regular eye exams and as many as 37% of diabetics do not wear protective eyewear.