Prevent Blindness, a nonprofit eye health and safety organization, has provided the public with information on the impact that diabetes can have on vision and offered tools and programs to help prevent significant vision loss from the disease. The group has created a variety of resources, including a dedicated webpage, providing detailed information on diabetes-related eye diseases, downloadable fact sheets in English and Spanish, and shareable social media graphics.

Prevent Blindness has also developed the Diabetes & the Eyes Educational Toolkit with free materials on diabetes and the impact of this disease on eye health. The toolkit includes fact sheets, presentations, and shareable social media graphics in English and Spanish. These educational resources are intended for health care professionals, community health educators, and those in a caregiving or diabetes education role.

Complications associated with diabetes can include diabetes-related retinopathy (DR), which in turn can cause diabetic macular edema (DME). Vision loss can occur. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated that early detection and treatment, when warranted, can prevent or delay blindness due to DR in many people with diabetes. However, people who do not get their eyes examined may be diagnosed too late for treatment to provide its maximum effectiveness. The longer someone has diabetes, the higher his or her risk for developing DR, including DME.

To learn more about diabetes-related eye disease, visit https://preventblindness.org/diabetes-and-your-eyes/ or call Prevent Blindness at 800-331-2020. For a free listing of organizations and services that provide financial assistance for vision care, visit https://preventblindness.org/vision-care-financial-assistance-information/; the list is available in English or Spanish.