Diabetic Retinopathy: a Formidable Challenge FLEMMING ORSNKOV,
MD, MPH, CYNTHIA HOGAN Of all the ocular complications of
diabetes, retinopathy stands out as a severe and relentless
opponent. Refinements in treatment options and 40 years of
research have greatly reduced the risk of blindness from the
disease. Nevertheless, diabetic retinopathy is still a leading
cause of legal blindness in U.S. adults between the ages of 20
and 74 and the leading cause of blindness among adults in the
developing world. The Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic
Retinopathy found that within two decades of the onset of
diabetes, nearly all patients with type 1 diabetes and more than
60% of patients with type 2 develop retinopathy. And in April of
this year, the Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group estimated
that 4.1 million U.S. adults over age 40 have diabetic
retinopathy, and that 899,000 have vision-threatening
retinopathy. Moreover, the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy
was shown to increase with age: from 1.4% in peo