WebMD Medical News Brunilda Nazario, MD Nov. 17, 2011 -- Vision
problems and vision loss are known complications of diabetes,
but things seem to be getting better. The percentage of adults
with diabetes who say they have vision problems has dropped from
24% in 1997 to 17% in 2010. That’s the good news. The not-so-
good news is that only 63% of people with diabetes and vision
problems get the recommended annual eye exam. "Most vision loss
caused by diabetes could be avoided by managing the disease well
--good control of blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol
-- and by getting a dilated eye examination every year to find
problems early and treat them in time to avoid serious vision
damage," study researcher Nilka Rios Burrows, MPH, an
epidemiologist at the CDC's diabetes division, says in an email.
"Continued efforts are needed to sustain and improve the
declining trends in self-reported vision impairment and to
increase rates of recommended eye examinations in the population
with diabetes," says a repor