In findings released last week for a study from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Health Interview Survey, the percentage of diabetics with vision trouble is quite a bit lower now than it was in 1997.  Respondents were asked to answer a question about their vision, “Do you have any trouble seeing even with glasses or contacts?”  In 1997, 23.7% of those polled replied that they did have trouble seeing, while only 16.7% replied in the affirmative in 2010.

Reasons such as being able to better treat vision problems such as macular edema and hemorrhage with advancements in steroid injections and antivascular endothelial growth factor medications, as well as better blood sugar control, were cited as the most likely contributing factors to this decline.

Though the total number of diabetics has increased alarmingly, the overall percentage of those with visual impairment has declined.  In 1997, 2.7 million diabetics had visual impairment, compared to 3.9 million last year.  The exception to this percentage decline is in African Americans, whose numbers showed little change. 

The authors of the study make a point of noting that while the decline may be “attributable, in part, to better control of VI risk factors (e.g., better blood glucose, blood pressure, and lipid control), improved detection and treatment of eye problems, or other factors…”, it could also be due to an explosion of new cases of diabetes, which “might have led to a large number of persons who have not had diabetes long enough to develop VI.”

More research will be needed to determine which scenario is true, but what is for sure is that we are controlling blood sugars better now and have access to higher quality medical care than ever before.