Study reveals diabetic retinopathy affecting more people than previously estimated

SEATTLE — A new study shows more people are living with diabetic retinopathy than originally predicted.

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition that can cause vision loss and blindness in people with diabetes. The National Eye Institute (NEI) says the condition affects blood vessels in the retina, which is the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of the eye.

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the University of Washington School of Medicine (UW Medicine), and NORC (formerly called the National Opinion Research Center) at the University of Chicago found that 9.6 million people had diabetic retinopathy in 2021, which is about 30% higher than previous research had predicted. Of those, 1.8 million people have the vision-threatening disease.

Abraham Flaxman, one of the three UW co-authors on the study, said the takeaway of the findings is that this is a common scenario.

"About 1 out of 4 of the people who are living with diabetes, at least age 40 and older, have diabetic retinopathy," said Flaxman.

More than 37 million Americans are diabetic, a count that grows with obesity and poor nutrition, the study states.

The NEI urges people who have diabetes to receive a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year to prevent diabetic retinopathy since it may not provide symptoms at first.