Early diagnosis, timely treatment, and appropriate follow-up care can prevent or delay severe vision loss in more than 95 percent of patients with diabetic retinopathy. This disease is the most common diabetic eye disease and the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. Only half of all people with diabetes get annual comprehensive dilated eye exams. As a result, they are often diagnosed at a stage when it may be too late for treatment to be fully effective. For the first time in decades, newer and better treatments for diabetic retinopathy are available to help further prevent vision loss and blindness. The National Eye Institute (NEI) and its National Eye Health Education Program (NEHEP) are working in collaboration with the NEI-funded Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net [1]). They are pleased to invite healthcare professionals, diabetes educators, and others working with patients with diabetes to learn about the latest advances in the treatment of retinopathy and about available educational resources to promote the critical need for early detection. Learning Objectives: 1) Discuss diabetic retinopathy and its public health impact, 2) Describe key findings from DRCR.net trials and what they mean for clinical practice and patient care & 3) Define patient education resources available from NEHEP to promote early detection of diabetic retinopathy. To register for this event please click here [2].
