Let’s not forget the eye health. Checks must always be carried out regularly. And they can’t really be put off or underestimated if you have diabetes. There is a risk of diabetic retinopathy, complication of diabetes affecting the eye. Think this condition has been identified as the leading cause of blindness in people of working age. And obviously in the over-65s the risks certainly do not go down.
In Italy, at least one million people come to terms with this condition, which may not be taken into proper consideration as the experts who support the “DIAmoci An Eye” campaign directed at diabetic specialists to sensitize them on the importance of screening at the time of diagnosis of diabetes, but also to patients and caregivers to raise awareness of the disease. Supported by the Association of Diabetes Doctors (AMD) and the Italian Society of Diabetology (SID).
How retinopathy shows
The disease can be easily identified thanks to the fundus screening. It is a simple, non-invasive and painless examination, performed by the diabetologist in collaboration with the ophthalmologist, which allows you to intervene early and avoid serious health outcomes such asdiabetic macular edema and, in the most serious cases, the loss of vision.
Furthermore, another fact should not be underestimated. Diabetic retinopathy – even asymptomatic – can be a sign of cardiovascular complications of diabetes, such as coronaropatiawhich require further investigation e cardiovascular screening second level.
Unfortunately, diabetic retinopathy is a largely under-diagnosed disease that can remain asymptomatic for a long time. For this reason, it is extremely important that people with diabetes are subjected to periodic screening (at the time of diagnosis and at fixed intervals depending on the clinical picture of the patient), with the aim of identify the problem early and carry out timely and appropriate taking charge.
“Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most serious complications of diabetes but remains largely under-diagnosed, generating a negative impact on the health outcomes of people with diabetes and on the costs borne by the National Health Service for the management of more complex cases – comments Graziano Di Cianni, President of AMD. The responsibility of coordinating it screening for the identification of the pathology is of the doctors and structures that follow people with diabetes daily, but we also know that, in a perspective of maximum collaboration, it is essential that the patient and family members know the pathology, are aware of the risk factors and the problems connected to it so that they perceive theimportance of prevention, which always remains the most important weapon at our disposal. It is therefore essential to carry out a correct screening for the identification of any diabetic retinopathy lesions through an examination of the fundus of the eye – simple and non-invasive – which allows the patient to be quickly directed to the ophthalmologist specialist for the initiation of the most appropriate therapy “.
Because diabetes damages the retina
Diabetic retinopathy is caused by a damage to blood vessels retinal tissue and can develop in all people living with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. A long duration of diabetes, especially if not controlled, with high levels of glycated hemoglobin and hypertension, are the main risk factors of the onset of the disease, to be kept under control to assess the urgency for carrying out ocular screening.
“Screening for diabetic retinopathy must increasingly become one of the routine activities carried out at the diabetes centers and should in any case take place concurrently with the diabetic visit – points out Agostino Consoli, President of SID. Today we have the possibility of using retinographs – tools that can also be used by an orthoptist or an expert nurse – with remote image reporting by an ophthalmologist or even with image interpretation by artificial intelligence systems. These technologies must be spread throughout the national territory and become the standard for the screening of diabetic retinopathy “.