Make Screening Easier
The critical issue is to make it easier for young adults with diabetes to get checked for retinopathy, Wolf said. People in their late teens and early 20s face many challenges in getting needed medical screenings. They often are shifting away from living with parents, who likely managed their care for them in their childhood.
These young adults tend to be busy with college and the demands of starting out in careers while living on their own. And they may not want to address the potential consequences of diabetes, which can seem remote to people not feeling effects of the illness.
“It’s just not always a priority, especially when you’re in this time of life where you’re generally feeling very healthy,” Wolf said. “But we want to make sure that they are getting screened.”
Rosenthal reported receiving research grant support from MediBeacon, outside the submitted work. Other coauthors reported receiving grants from Breakthrough T1D, Physical Sciences, Novartis, Genentech/Roche, Novo Nordisk, and Boehringer Ingelheim, and receiving nonfinancial support from Optovue, Boston Micromachines, Novo Nordisk, Adaptive Sensory Technology, Genentech/Roche, Novartis, and Alcon outside the submitted work. Jensen reported no relevant financial disclosures.
Eyenuk Inc. provided the camera and automated screening software used in the study reported by Rajagopal and coauthors and was involved in the data collection and management, but otherwise had no role in the design or conduct of this research. Rajagopal had no personal financial disclosures.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.