Eyes on the prize. Prevention is crucial in combating retinopathy.

摘要

FUNDAMENTALLY, THE JOB OF the eye is to distinguish light from dark. In humans, eyes also reveal a world of incredible detail, courtesy of nerves, blood vessels, light-sensing molecules, and highly evolved regions of the brain. Unfortunately, these delicate spheres are also susceptible to injury, and eye disease is one of the major complications of uncontrolled diabetes. The most common diabetic eye disease is retinopathy, which in severe forms causes blindness in 10,000 people with diabetes each year. Between 40 and 45 percent of Americans with diabetes have some degree of retinopathy. Glaucoma and cataracts are also eye diseases that disproportionately affect people with diabetes.