How Diabetes Can Lead to Blindness

National Diabetes Month, November, raises awareness about the devastating effects of diabetes here in the US. It’s no secret that instances of diabetes in the United States are skyrocketing and that now more than ever Americans eat more of what’s bad for us, exercise less and put ourselves at an increasingly higher risk for this potentially fatal disease.

What many Americans do not realize is that we are not the only people who are impacted by diabetes.  As a matter of fact, of the 371 million people worldwide suffering from the disease, four out of five live in low or middle income countries, where access to treatment and care means more than a quick trip to the doctor’s office.  And, although those most impacted by diabetes are men and women of working age, the disease is rapidly increasing among young people. Diabetes is not just a “western” disease –it’s a global disease that impacts everyone.

With the international boom in urbanization and the shift from agriculture to mass produced food, many people around the world are suffering from poor health.  Cities worldwide are multiplying in population.  Fewer farms and more factories lead to a decrease in the amount of exercise people get each day. Inexpensive fast food is being consumed more than ever before both here and in developing countries. As a result, obesity and diabetes are running rampant in some of the world’s poorest countries, particularly in Southeast Asia.

The damaging effects of diabetes on a person’s health and lifestyle – including erratic blood sugar levels, a weakened immune system and increased risk for heart disease– are universal and well known. But there is another aspect of the disease that often gets overlooked: the drastic toll that it can take on vision.

Sound strange? Surprisingly, millions of people worldwide suffer from what’s called diabetic retinopathy. This occurs when blood vessels in the retina become damaged due to poorly controlled diabetes and can lead to severely impaired vision.  The key to avoiding eye damage due to diabetic retinopathy is early detection, which can decrease the risk of vision loss by more than 90%. However, at the early stages, this condition virtually has no symptoms that can be detected without a visit to a doctor. What’s more, half of people living with diabetes, especially in developing countries, are not even aware that they have the disease.

This is where organizations like Helen Keller International come in.  The non-profit’s diabetic retinopathy program improves access to vision screenings and treatment for the eye condition in Bangladesh and Indonesia, two countries experiencing a dramatic rise in diabetes.  Through this pilot program, health professionals are trained to include screening for diabetic retinopathy in their routine health exams and to encourage diabetes patients to get their eyes checked regularly.  Over the past three years, more than 25,000 people in Bangladesh and Indonesia have received eye screenings through Helen Keller International’s diabetic retinopathy program.

At the current rate, diabetes cases could double in developing countries over the next 30 years, impacting the ability for poor nations to thrive.  Experts estimate that by the year 2030, nearly 522 million people around the world—that’s one in every ten adults— will suffer from diabetes.  The dramatic rise in diabetes could have a devastating economic impact on emerging economies, like Bangladesh, leaving them unable to sustain a healthy, growing workforce and unable to compete in a global economy.

This Diabetes Awareness Month, and all year long, support causes that build awareness about diabetes all around the world to keep diabetes progressing from a global disease to a global crisis.

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