The following is a summary of the “Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy in the US in 2021,” published in the June 2023 issue of Opthalmology by Lundeen et al.

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) is a diabetic condition that leads to permanent loss of eyesight, commonly found in middle-aged US adults.

For a study, researchers aimed to predict the DR and vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy (VTDR) incidence per US county and state with demographic characteristics.

Investigators collected the data from different sources. Relevant data were collected from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System. They predicted occurrence rates and arranged them on age, non-differentiated gender, race, ethnicity, and US county and state basis. 

They defined diabetic patients as individuals who had hemoglobin A1C levels of 6.5% or more, taking insulin, and DR as any retinopathy in a diabetic condition, including nonproliferative retinopathy (mild, moderate, or severe), proliferative retinopathy, or macular edema.

VTDR was defined as specific conditions, including severe nonproliferative proliferative retinopathy, panretinal photocoagulation scars, or macular edema present along with diabetes in an individual. 

Represented data were based on national and local population studies. For 2021, investigators reported 9.60 million people (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 7.90-11.55) diagnosed with DR corresponding to an incidence rate of 26.43% (95% UI, 21.95-31.60) in diabetic patients. For VTDR, they estimated 1.84 million people (95% UI, 1.41-2.40), corresponding to an incidence rate of 5.06% (95% UI, 3.90-6.57) in diabetic patients. The demographic factors and characteristics resulted in the variation of the incidence rate of DR and VTDR.

The US-related incidence rate of DR and VTDR remains high, and the reported studies can be utilized to improve public health.

Source: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/article-abstract/2806093