If you are affected by diabetes you’ll know the very serious risks it can bring – the possibility of severe complications and the delicate balance you must achieve to avoid them.
Retinopathy is a very serious complication of diabetes – if left untreated it can lead to irreversible sight loss. This happens as damaged or leaking blood vessels gradually block your vision with an increasing number of black blotches.
The sobering truth is that within 20 years of diagnosis at least 65% of people with diabetes will have some degree of retinopathy.
Thanks to valued supporters like you, Diabetes UK funded research to demonstrate the effectiveness of eye screening, which led to the rollout of a national retinal screening service. This has helped thousands of people with diabetes protect their sight.
But there is still so much more we need to do. In spite of significant breakthroughs like this, more than 1,200 people with diabetes could lose their sight every year. We won’t stop researching ways to prevent and treat retinopathy in people with diabetes until every single person’s sight is safe.
Your support is absolutely key – we can’t do it alone. Please help with a gift of £10 today.
