Alarming Number of Youths With Type 2 Diabetes Have Eye Damage
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Almost half of young adults with type 2 diabetes develop a potentially blinding eye complication called diabetic retinopathy within a dozen years after diagnosis, new research reveals. The findings, from one of the longest-running nationally representative studies in the U.S. focusing on youth-onset type 2 diabetes, provide crucial guidance on diabetes management and eye care to young patients and their families, as well as doctors and the public, said study author Rose Gubitosi-Klug, MD, a pediatric endocrinologist at UH Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland, OH.
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@adrita Diabetic retinopathy — the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults and one of the top reasons for preventable blindness — is characterized by damage to the blood vessels at the back of the eye. These abnormal vessels resemble scar tissue that can pull the retina out of place, causing blurriness, floaters, or severe vision loss.