CHICAGO—Prevent Blindness, an eye health and safety nonprofit, has declared November as Diabetes-related Eye Disease Awareness Month. Early detection and treatment of diabetes is essential because the risk of developing significant vision loss and blindness increases the longer someone has diabetes, Prevent Blindness said. To help educate the public, including parents and care partners of individuals with diabetes, as well as allied health professionals, Prevent Blindness is offering free resources that include fact sheets and social media graphics in English and Spanish, web pages and a variety of educational videos, according to the announcement.

Two forms of diabetes-related eye disease include:

● Diabetic retinopathy occurs when small blood vessels leak and bleed in the retina. Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in American adults, affecting more than one in four of those living with diabetes.

● Diabetic macular edema occurs when the small blood vessels in the center of the retina, called the macula, become leaky and cause the retina to swell. It can cause vision to become blurry.

Additional risks to eye health occur in persons with diabetes. According to the National Eye Institute, those with diabetes are 2 to 5 times more likely to develop cataracts, and to get them at a younger age. Also, having diabetes nearly doubles the risk of developing a type of glaucoma called open-angle glaucoma.

To help educate the public on the impact that diabetes may have on vision, Prevent Blindness has developed a comprehensive library of materials for consumers and professionals, including:

Diabetes + The Eyes Educational Toolkit. Available in English and Spanish, this resource includes PowerPoint presentations, fact sheets, shareable social media graphics and a dedicated webpage. The Diabetes + The Eyes program is supported by funding from Regeneron.

Prevent Blindness and the Focus on Diabetes video series. Focus on Diabetes is an eye health initiative of the American Diabetes Association. This comprehensive series includes a variety of educational videos designed for consumer audiences:

● The Patient Perspective: Diabetes-related Eye Disease

● Diabetes and Your Eyes ABCs

● Newly Diagnosed with Diabetes: What you need to know about your eyes

● Introduction to the Diabetes + the Eyes Educational Toolkit



The Juvenile Diabetes and Vision Health web resource and corresponding Diabetes + Your Eyes: Vision Health in Youth fact sheets (available in English and Spanish) provide detailed information on what parents and caregivers need to know to help youth with diabetes protect their eye health. These resources were developed with support from United Healthcare.

Diabetes-related Vision Loss and Mental Wellness resources include the Diabetes, Vision Loss, and Mental Wellness video, featuring patient advocate Serena Valentine, mental health expert Melissa Taussig and diabetes specialist Lisa Golden. A Diabetes-related Eye Disease and Mental Health fact sheet is also available in English and Spanish. The fact sheet is supported by funding from Regeneron and VSP Vision.

The Diabetes-related Eye Disease YouTube playlist offers a list of videos to help individuals living with diabetes learn about taking care of their vision and eye health. Video topics range from patient stories to expert presentations to tips for living with diabetes-related eye disease.

“Diabetes can have a significant, negative impact on our eye health, as well as our overall health and quality of life,” said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. “By working closely with health care professionals and adhering to medical advice, we can all work together to protect vision from the damaging effects of diabetes.”

For general diabetes-related eye disease information, click here. For more information on the “Diabetes + The Eyes” program, click here.

For a free listing of organizations and services that provide financial assistance for vision care in English or Spanish, click here.