Fighting diabetic blindness: An urgent global issue concerning patients, physicians and public policy

摘要

It was ElliottJoslin, the world renowned diabetologist fromHarvard Universitywho onceremarked,“Theera ofcomaas thecentral problemofdiabetes has givenway to theera ofcomplications.”[1] With the discovery ofinsulin as the diabetics started to livelonger, the diabeticcomacasesdeclined, butmoreand more patients with complications in targetend-organs wereseen. Despite optimalcontrol of blood glucose, blood pressureand lipids,and the use ofantivascular growth factor (VEGF)agents, the prevalence of diabeticretinopathy (DR) stillremains high in people withdiabetes,and is theleading cause of vision lossand blindness inmid-aged adults. Theincreasing globalepidemicimpliesan increasein therates ofits microvascularcomplication, DR. Thecurrent issue ofIJO emphasizes this devastating diseaseand its impact in atimely compilation ofseveralstudiesconducted by theleading expertsat premiercenters in Indiato focus on theepidemiology,early screening,and masseducation about DR.Under the Diabetic Retinopathy Initiative, much ofthe work presented in this supplement has been supported by the QueenElizabethDiamondJubilee Trust, the mission ofwhich is to preventavoidable blindness. No doubt itseems reasonableto concludethatsystemiccontrol has itsbeneficialeffects on ocular sequelae,as shown bymany landmark clinicaltrials,and much ofthe diabetes-related blindness is“avoidable.”.