HYDERABAD: With an increasing incidence of diabetes, the preventable blindness cause by the disease too is on the rise. As per experts, numbers of such patients are increasing every year in Telangana — considered a diabetes capital of India — as well as in other states. With awareness over impact of diabetes on retinopathy still very little, most cases get detected late.
“Diabetes is one of the two silent diseases of the eye — other being glaucoma — which can lead to slow blindness and by the time a patient realises, he/she could have lost 90 per cent vision, said co-founder and director of Maxivision Eye Hospital, Dr Kasu Prasad Reddy. He added that if a patient comes to the doctor after this, they can only save the remaining 10 per cent vision.
“It is therefore important that everyone, especially diabetes patients, go for yearly check-ups,” Dr Kasu Prasad said
“While India is the diabetes capital of the world, Hyderabad is the diabetes capital of India. As per global studies, 80 per cent of those who get diabetes, will develop diabetic retinopathy. Unfortunately, the attitude we see among patients is that of denial of diabetes. As a result when asked to get an eye check-up, they tend to ignore it,” said consultant diabetologist and preventive medicine at Apollo Hospitals, Dr Ashish Chauhan.
Medical experts said that damage to the eyes and heart begins at a pre-diabetic stage which many are not aware of. They suggested cutting down sugar intake, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and going for regular check-ups.
