Vision loss likely related to diabetes in the United States increased by 20 percent over less than a decade, according to a US study - a matter of concern as diabetes rates continue to rise, and hit younger and younger people.
"These are really dramatic findings, and they're kind of the tip of the iceberg of what's coming ahead," said David Friedman from the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who worked on the study.
So-called nonrefractive vision impairment, which includes glaucoma and cataracts, can't be corrected with glasses, and typically requires laser therapy or surgery. It can also lead to permanent vision loss in some cases, especially when the problem isn't identified or treated in a timely fashion.
The researchers, whose findings appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association, said that as diabetes rates continue to rise, some complications tied to the disease are expected to spike as well. Vision loss is especially a concern among people who have had diabetes for ten years or more.
Using data from a national health and nutrition study, Friedman's team found 1.4 percent of the 9,471 adults examined in 1999 through 2002 had nonrefractive vision impairment. That compared to 1.7 percent of the 10,480 people tested in 2005 through 2008.
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