who is at risk of getting
diabetic retinopathy?
Diabetic Retinopathy is a diabetes complication - this means that if you or your loved ones get diagnosed with diabetes, you are automatically at risk for getting diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy in the future. ​
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However, that does NOT automatically mean that you will develop diabetic retinopathy in a certain amount of years. Being able to properly manage your diabetes will decrease the odds of developing diabetic retinopathy.
What are the signs and symptoms of diabetic retinopathy?
Most people don't notice the warning signs of diabetic retinopathy, because the obvious symptoms involving changes and loss of vision don't occur until the disease has progressed to later stages. This is why it's very important to make sure to get yearly eye exams! If you do notice any of these signs and symptoms, try to get an appointment with an eye doctor as soon as possible.
If you or your loved ones have been diagnosed with diabetes, it is extremely important to make sure to get a yearly eye exam that consists of a dilated exam to check for the beginning signs of diabetic retinopathy.
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Gradually worsening vision
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Floaters (random shapes that appear to be floating in your vision)
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Blurry vision
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Blind spots (a dark or empty spot anywhere in your vision)
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Sudden loss of vision (whether partial or full)
Two main types of
diabetic retinopathy:
non-proliferative diabetic retinopaty
Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy is the early stage of diabetic retinopathy. Here, blood vessels in the retina (the lining in the back of your eyes that is in charge of communicating with your brain to help you see) swell up and may leak blood or fluid, which form deposits in your eyes and cause a decline in vision.
proliferative diabetic retinopaty
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is a more advanced and serious stage of diabetic retinopathy. At this point, abnormal blood vessels begin to form in the eye, which can cause scarring and retina detachment.
If left undiagnosed and untreated, diabetic retinopathy can lead to severe vision loss and permanent blindness
national Statistics on
diabetic retinopathy
During our research, we quickly realized that unfortunately, there is not as much published research on the statistics of those who are affected with diabetic retinopathy.
However, the numbers we DID find are alarming, and further research on the number of folks who have diabetes (a.k.a. folks who are at risk of getting diabetic retinopathy),
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From a particle published in JAMA Ophthalmology, as of 2004, 1 out of 29 people ages 40 and up have been diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy.
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More recently, according to the National Eye Institute (NEI) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as of 2010, 7.6 million people in the United States had Diabetic Retinopathy.
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That number is expected to increase to 14 million people by the year 2050, as shown in the graph on the right, taken from the National Eye Institute.
For more information on these statistics, check out the links below:
national Statistics on diabetes
You might be asking - "Why am I looking at statistics on diabetes? I thought this website was for diabetic retinopathy!" We want to continue to emphasize that folks who are diabetic are at risk for getting diabetic retinopathy in the future, so understanding these statistics is also important because we are able to identify the populations that are at risk for getting diabetic retinopathy.
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In 2020, the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) released a National Diabetes Statistics Report. Some of their main findings are the following:
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34.2 million Americans have diabetes (that's around 1 in 10 Americans!)​
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88 millions Americans ages 18 and over have pre-diabetes (that's around 1 in 3 Americans!)
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Pre-Diabetes is a condition where a person has a higher-than-normal level of blood sugar, but lower than someone's with diabetes. Without prevention and intervention, there is a good chance the person will develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years.​
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This image was taken from the National Diabetes Statistics Report in 2020 by the CDC. It depicts the increasing percentages of those who are over 20 years old and diagnosed with diabetes from 2004, 2008, and 2016.
For more information on these statistics, check out this website below:
Statistics in the Coachella valley and riverside county
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According to the HARC 2019 Report, 12.2% of Coachella Valley residents are diagnosed with diabetes
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The HARC (Health Assessment and Research for Communities) is a non-profit based in the Coachella Valley; their mission is to "advance [the] quality of life by helping community leaders use objective research and analysis to turn data into action," and are able to do this by "providing data that helps improve the social determinants of health."​
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That percentage compared to 9.9% of all California residents who have diabetes indicates that the Coachella Valley is disproportionately affected by diabetes
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Furthermore, in the Coachella Valley, 43.6% of all adults diagnosed with diabetes have NEVER taken a course or class on how to manage their diabetes (that's 18, 139 people!)
Statistics in san Bernardino county
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According to the San Bernardino County Community Indicator Report, as of 2019, 13.9% of San Bernardino County have been diagnosed with diabetes
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That percentage compared to 9.9% of all California residents who have diabetes indicates that the San Bernardino County is also disproportionately affected by diabetes.
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Furthermore, 32.4 per 100,000 people died from diabetes complications in 2017, which is more than 50% higher than the state average
what are the health risks that increase your chances of getting diabetic retinopathy?
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Uncontrolled blood sugar levels (consistently getting blood sugar numbers higher than what is recommended)
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Duration of diabetes (the longer you've had diabetes, the more likely you will get diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy)
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High Blood Pressure
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High Cholesterol levels
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Smoking
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Developing Gestational Diabetes
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Gestational Diabetes occurs when someone is pregnant and develops​ diabetes, or is diabetic and gets pregnant
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