MONTREAL — The age-adjusted prevalence of visual impairment among people with diabetes in the United States had a relative decline of more than 20% between 1997 and 2008, despite a sharp rise in the number of people diagnosed with the disease during that time.
The findings, calculated from National Health Interview Survey data, were presented in a poster by Dr. Nilka Rios Burrows at the World Diabetes Congress.
Visual impairment was defined as an affirmative response to the question, “Do you have trouble seeing even with glasses or contacts?”
The number of adults aged 18 and older with both self-reported diabetes and visual impairment increased from 2.6 million in 1997 to 3.6 million in 2008. Throughout the period, the prevalence of visual impairment was greater with increasing age, and was higher for women than men. But no racial or ethnic disparities were seen, said Dr. Burrows of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta.
The prevalence of visual impairment declined steadily and significantly during the study period. Overall prevalence declined from 26% in 1997 to 22% in 2008, while the age-adjusted prevalence dropped from 24% to 19%, with an average annual relative change of 2.7%. The similarity of the crude and age-adjusted prevalences suggests that aging had little effect on the trends, she said.
The decline may be due in part to a reduction in ocular risk factors, improved detection and treatment of eye problems, or better health in the diabetes population overall. The increase in the number of new diabetes cases since the 1990s may have led to a large number of people who have not had diabetes long enough to develop visual impairment, Dr. Burrows and her associates noted in the poster.
Reported annual contact with eye care providers remained suboptimal among people with diabetes regardless of their visual status: Half of those surveyed reported having seen an eye doctor in 2008.
“Effective strategies are needed to increase awareness about eye health and improve rates of routine eye examinations among people with diabetes,” the authors concluded.
Dr. Burrows declared that she had no conflicts of interest.