Chat: Diabetes and your eyes
Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults and nearly 29 percent of diabetics have diabetic retinopathy - damage to the eye's retina. This chat will answer your questions on diabetes and your eyes.
Most of us are aware of the nearly epidemic growth of diabetes in this country. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) reports that 25.8 million children and adults in the United States — 8.3 percent of the population — have diabetes. Another 79 million people have "prediabetes."
What we may not all be aware of is the effect of diabetes on our eyes. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults, the ADA reports, and nearly 29 percent of diabetics have diabetic retinopathy - damage to the eye's retina.
On June 8, from 2 -3 p.m. Eastern time, Julia A. Haller, M.D.,answered your questions. Haller, a world-renowned leader in retinal disease, is ophthalmologist-in-chief at Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia, and professor and chair of the department of Ophthalmology at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. She was educated at the Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Princeton University, and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Haller will provide answers on everything from preventing and managing diabetes-related eye problems to new treatments.
You can read the transcript of the chat below.
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