Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in the United States Remains High

WEDNESDAY, June 21, 2023 (HealthDay News) — An estimated 9.60 million people in the United States had diabetic retinopathy in 2021, corresponding to 26.43 percent of those with diabetes, according to a study published online June 15 in JAMA Ophthalmology.

Elizabeth A. Lundeen, Ph.D., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Division of Diabetes Translation and Vision Health Initiative in Atlanta, and colleagues updated estimates of diabetic retinopathy and vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) prevalence using data from nationally representative and local population-based studies, surveys, and insurance claims data.

The researchers estimated 9.60 million people were living with diabetic retinopathy in 2021, corresponding to a prevalence rate of 26.43 percent among people with diabetes. An estimated 1.84 million people were living with VTDR, corresponding to a prevalence rate of 5.06 percent among people with diabetes. There was variation noted in the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and VTDR by demographic characteristics and geography. Overall, the number of people living with diabetes-related eye disease grew substantially since 2004 prevalence estimates.

“These estimates can inform the allocation of public health resources and interventions to communities and populations at highest risk, such as expanding teleretinal imaging to improve diabetic retinopathy screening in counties with the highest prevalence,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

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