Diabetes no longer leading cause of blindness thanks to screening

Public Health England (PHE) reported that for the first time in over 50 years diabetic eye disease was no longer the leading cause of blindness in adults of working age.

A new study carried out in affiliation with Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology reports on the causes of blindness in England and Wales in working age adults comparing data from 1999 to 2000 with 2009 to 2010.

According to the research, with the prevalence of diabetes increasing during this period, a similar increase may have been expected in the rates of blindness caused by diabetic eye disease. Although many factors have likely contributed to the results, it is safe to say that public health interventions such as screening have played a key role, according to PHE.

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