Young People With Diabetes Putting Sight At Risk

(Sunday, June 03, 2007) - SPECSAVERS OPTICIANS today put its weight behind Diabetes UK in a bid to halt an increasing number of young people with diabetes risking blindness.

Sir Steve Redgrave, who has Type 1 diabetes, is Britain's greatest Olympian and Honorary Vice President of Diabetes UK. Today he will launch the partnership on the back of a survey*, which revealed that 26% of youngsters with diabetes have not been screened for retinopathy in the last 12 months, even though retinopathy is the biggest cause of blindness in the UK's working-age population.

Retinopathy is a complication of diabetes where blood vessels in the retina become blocked, leaky or grow haphazardly. If left undetected and untreated, it will inevitably lead to impaired vision and can ultimately lead to blindness. So it is essential that all people with diabetes have their sight tested as part of their general care.

Through the partnership, Specsavers has pledged to raise up to £100,000 for the Diabetes UK to fund research and raise awareness of diabetes and retinopathy.

Sir Steven says: 'This statistic is particularly worrying as the worst possible outcome of diabetic retinopathy - blindness - can be avoided through digital screening and early detection. Young people with diabetes have their whole lives ahead of them and should take all the measures they can to minimise the impact of the condition.

'I know only too well the shock of being diagnosed diabetic and the potential consequences it can have on your daily life. However, I have learned that the condition is manageable and the extreme consequences, such as blindness, can be preventable. I would urge every diabetic, young and old, to have their eyes screened every year to minimise their risk of visual impairment.'

People with diabetes are 20 times more at risk of going blind than someone without the condition and up to 40% of the 2.2m people in the UK with diabetes have varying degrees of retinopathy. Treatment can prevent blindness in 90% of those at risk if detected early enough and applied adequately.

Specsavers founder Mary Perkins says: 'We have adopted Diabetes UK as our national charity because we believe that, together, we can make a big difference to the prevention of visual impairment and blindness resulting from diabetes.

'We urge everyone to have a sight test at least every two years because an eye test can detect the onset of diabetes among people who don't even realise they have it. This is especially important because the number of diabetics is growing due to an ageing population, diet and increased obesity, with at least three quarters of a million cases currently undetected.

'All optometrists are trained to spot diabetes during a regular eye examination and Specsavers has more than 2,000 optometrists carrying out nearly six million eye tests a year, which are free to the over 60s and those under 19 in full-time education.'

Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, says: 'Diabetes UK is extremely pleased to be working with Specsavers Opticians. Research around retinal screening is essential to stop people's lives being devastated by retinopathy.'

Poor diabetes control, which is particularly common in teenagers, can increase the risk of blindness as talented actress and musician, Sarah Caltieri, 27, from Leeds, knows only too well. Sarah was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of seven. At the age of 16, she struggled to cope with her condition and rebelled against it.

Sarah explains: 'I acted like I didn't have diabetes and stopped taking insulin to make me lose weight. I just thought that the complications, such as losing my sight, would never happen to me.'

After being on the brink of slipping into a diabetic coma several times, Sarah sought counselling, but sadly it was too late. The damage had already been done and her poor blood glucose control meant the blood vessels in the back of her eye had become blocked and she soon lost her sight.

'I lost the sight in my left eye and a few weeks later, my right eye went too. My specialist says my case is the worst he has seen in 20 years. I lost my sight, my job, my driving licence and my independence. I would urge anyone with diabetes to heed my warning and ensure their eyes are screened for retinopathy every year and that they keep on top of their treatment if they are to avoid the same fate as me.'

Diabetes UK is the largest organisation in the UK working for people with diabetes, their carers, family and friends. With more than 170,000 members, the charity invests over £6m each year in research to improve the treatment of diabetes, and lobbies the government for better standards of care.

If you are diabetic specially designed kit bags to carry everything you need are available from www.desang.net

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