One in three. There are many people with diabetes who, due to high blood sugar, suffer retinal injuries which then lead to loss, even total, of vision: diabetes is still the leading cause of blindness in the Western world, as was recently recalled in conference Eye and diabetes – Prevention, treatment and future perspectives.
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Little prevention
Today we know well what happens to the eyes of those suffering from diabetes: in the long run, excess glucose in the blood damages the small blood vessels of the retina, to the point of creating real ‘wear and tear’, called microaneurysms, hence the liquid part some blood oozes near the macular region. The tissue swells and diabetic macular edema develops, which over time leads to loss of vision. The main concern of the general population, and of diabetics in particular, is the loss of vision, observes Massimo Porta, director of the School of Internal Medicine of the Department of Medical Sciences of the University of Turin. Not much has been done so far for prevention: only 10 percent of people with diabetes have regular vision checks. In patients followed by diabetes centers the situation is a little better, but not yet optimal: patients are still not sufficiently aware of the importance of constantly following a therapeutic path and undergoing regular checks. Added to this are the bureaucratic problems that contribute to reducing access to care: in the latest LEA reform, for example, the fundus examination is no longer exempt from the ticket for diabetics.
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Screening and controls
Unfortunately, compared to other retinal diseases, diabetic retinopathy gives symptoms late, when it is already in an advanced stage, adds Edoardo Midena, director of the Ophthalmology Clinic of the University of Padua. Many come to the specialist when they are now in a serious situation, with a loss of vision due to macular edema. Identify the problem early by undergoing regular vision checks, therefore essential for anyone who has been diagnosed with diabetes, as explained by Francesco Bandello, director of the Life and Health Eye Clinic – San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan: Today we have all the tools to stem retinopathy diabetic, one of the most serious consequences of high blood sugar, but fundus alterations must be promptly detected by the specialist: pharmacological and instrumental treatments produce much better results when performed at an early stage, with enormous savings also for the economy sanitary.
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November 27, 2020 (change November 28, 2020 | 09:09)
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