DR: A Common, Serious, and Undertreated Complication of Diabetes2,3
- According to the CDC, as many as 1 in 3 U.S. adults could have diabetes by 2050,4 which puts a great number of individuals at risk of DR
- DR can affect about a third of adults over age 40 with diabetes3
- DR is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among people with diabetes between the ages of 20 and 74 years2
See a
DR Severity
Scale
DME Is a Complication of DR That Can Occur Any Time5
Half the patients newly diagnosed with DME present with visual acuity of worse than 20/406
- About half the people with DR are expected to develop DME1
- Risk of DME increases with the severity of DR1

Awareness Is Limited Among Patients With Diabetic Eye Disease7
The AOA states that in 2017 alone, Doctors of Optometry diagnosed >400,000 new cases of
DR.8 And, in a 2014 study, the majority of patients with DR or DME reported that they had
never been told by a doctor that diabetes was affecting their eyes.9
% Patients With DME or DR Without DME Not Told by a Doctor That Diabetes Was Affecting Their Eyes

Cross-sectional analysis of 2005-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) national data; N=798 participants with self-reported diabetes stratified by DR and DME status.
There is a significant need for diabetes patient education9
The Majority of Patients at Risk of Vision Loss From Severe
Nonproliferative DR (NPDR) Without DME Are Not Being Treated10
In a Retrospective Analysis Conducted by Regeneron, Many Commercially Insured
Patients With DR Without DME Were Untreated 1 Year Following Diagnosis (age ≥18 years; N=9633)10

Data on file—Results of a retrospective longitudinal cohort analysis of Truven MarketScan Commercial and Medicare claims data. Patients were included in the analysis if they were aged ≥18 years, had a diagnosis of diabetes, and had a diagnosis of DR without macular edema. Patients categorized according to most severe DR diagnosis (order: severe NPDR, moderate NPDR, mild NPDR). Study period: January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2015.
You play an important role in educating patients with diabetes about modifiable
risk factors for the development and progression of DR and DME. These include11:
- Diet and weight
- Tobacco use
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol and triglyceride levels
Your Diabetes Patients May Be at Serious Risk of Vision Loss.
AOA = American Optometric Association; CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.