Are You Hispanic and Diabetic? Come Visit us at Roholt Vision!
- Posted on: Mar 15 2014
One of the serious complications that can arise from diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. This can result when the retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye) swells, leaks or shuts down completely, or in some cases, a new set of abnormal blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina.
During its earlier stages, individuals with diabetic retinopathy may not notice any changes but as it progresses, it can lead to vision loss which in most cases cannot be reversed. At the Roholt Vision Institute, patients with diabetes undergo extensive detection and documentation of diabetes related eye disease through a special set of instrumentation.
Special Emphasis on Hispanics Who Are Diabetics
You might wonder why we specifically urge Hispanics who are diabetics to come see us right away at our Ohio LASIK and cataract center. It actually has to do with the results of this Los Angeles Latino Eye Study which concluded that Hispanics have significantly higher rates of developing cataracts, vision loss, and diabetic eye disease than their non-Hispanic counterparts.
Here’s an excerpt of the study:
“LALES researchers found that over the four-year interval, Latinos developed visual impairment and blindness at the highest rate of any ethnic group in the country, when compared with estimates from other U.S. population-based studies. Overall, nearly 3 percent of Latinos developed visual impairment and 0.3 percent developed blindness in both eyes, with older adults impacted more frequently. Of Latinos age 80 and older, 19.4 percent became visually impaired, and 3.8 percent became blind in both eyes.
U.S. Latinos were also more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy than non-Hispanic whites. Over the four-year period, 34 percent of Latinos who had diabetes developed diabetic retinopathy, with Latinos aged 40 to 59 having the highest rate. Though increasing age did not play a role, Latinos with a longer duration of diabetes were more likely to develop the disease. In fact, 42 percent of Latinos with diabetes for more than 15 years developed diabetic retinopathy. Also, among participants who had diabetic retinopathy at the beginning of the study, 39 percent showed worsening of the disease four years later.”
So are you of Hispanic origin and is also a diabetic? Call us at 330-305-2200 to set up an appointment with us! The Roholt Vision Institute will communicate with your primary care physician as well as your endocrinologist to help ensure that all health care providers are well informed of the status of diabetes mellitus related conditions.
Posted in: Diabetic Eye Care, Diabetic Retinopathy