East Montgomery Times

The prevalence of diabetes-related eye diseases has nearly doubled since 2014, according to a study by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Despite this increase, the most severe forms of these diseases have decreased. The study, published in Ophthalmology, highlights advancements in diagnosing and treating diabetes in the United States.

Brian VanderBeek, MD, MPH, MSCE, an associate professor of Ophthalmology and lead author of the study stated: “Our work shows that more than 30 percent of all patients with diabetes now have some form of diabetic retinal disease, which means that the number of people at risk for vision loss continues to grow.” He added that their findings suggest clinicians may be improving in treating systemic diabetes.

In the United States, over 38 million people are diagnosed with diabetes and more than 98 million have pre-diabetes. These numbers underline the importance of understanding associated risks such as diabetic retinal disease that could lead to vision loss.

VanderBeek's team analyzed deidentified medical claims from over six million patients diagnosed with diabetes while enrolled in commercial insurance and Medicare Advantage plans between 2000 and 2022. They assessed both prevalence—the percentage diagnosed—and incidence—the rate of new cases.

The analysis revealed that those with any diabetes-related retinal diseases increased from 10.8% to 20.8% between 2014 and 2021. Incidence rates nearly doubled from 17.7 new cases per 1,000 person-years in 2013 to 32.2 in 2022.

While not all diabetic retinal diseases result in blindness, those considered "vision-threatening" have shown a decrease over recent years. The incidence rate for these conditions dropped by 51% from 2009 to 2022. Specifically, proliferative diabetic retinopathy fell by almost 300% since 2002.

VanderBeek noted two potential explanations for these trends: either an impending rise in vision-threatening diagnoses or improved overall diabetes care reducing severe cases' occurrence. He leans toward improved care due to better insurance coverage from policies like the Affordable Care Act.

Future research will explore disparities across race and ethnicity within Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes populations as part of ongoing analysis efforts.

This research received funding from the Research to Prevent Blindness/Mary Tyler Moore Vision Initiative Physician-Scientist Award and the National Eye Institute (1R21EY035707).