Author Interviews, Diabetes, JAMA, Ophthalmology, UC Davis / 30.07.2017
Diabetic Retinopathy May Impact Daily Work and Activities
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Jeffrey R. Willis MD, PhD
UC Davis Eye Center
University of California, Davis
Sacramento California
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?
Response: Diabetic retinopathy is one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. Yet there is limited national level data on the impact of worsening DR on quality of life and visual function.
Our study aimed to address this knowledge gap by evaluating the functional burden of DR across severity levels, utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
We found that one-half of US adults with severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) had difficulty with ≥ 1 visual function task, possibly impacting their daily work/activities. These patients reported a significantly greater vision-related functional burden relative to those with less severe forms of DR.
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