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BLOG: Three reasons a public health crisis is looming with diabetic eye disease
In this issue of Ocular Surgery News, we focus on cataract treatment in the diabetic patient, and in a broader view, our country is likely facing a future disaster.
1. No public health measures have yet adequately curbed the growth of diabetes. At present, 21% of adolescents in the U.S. are obese and at risk for this condition, while the rate of obesity with metabolic syndrome among adults is 35%. Among at-risk populations, advancing diabetes will most certainly cause potentially blinding eye disease, with many patients who do not access health care even when it is available.
2. We don’t have enough ophthalmologists to handle this demand. As health care reform and electronic medical record mandates drive older ophthalmologists into retirement, we have fewer graduating residents than the number of retirees. Furthermore, more than half of residents in our training programs are women, many of whom chose ophthalmology because it can permit a part-time work schedule, allowing them to raise a family. This combination foretells of a certain shortage of doctors, especially in underserved areas, where diabetes is most prevalent.
3. Treating diabetic eye disease is expensive. Whether with injections, laser or intraocular surgery, managing diabetic eye complications requires significant skills, increasingly relegated to retina specialists rather than general ophthalmologists, and the specialized techniques and medications required are increasingly costly.
Caring for a severely visually impaired person, and especially one with diabetic comorbidities such as mobility and cardiac problems, imposes a significant, separate burden on society. To prevent this impending disaster, our public health resources should now be focused even more on educating young and old about proper eating habits and exercise, screening and early management for diabetes, and growing our resources to treat all affected patients.
The county that boasts the world’s best health care system should certainly be best equipped to address its impending No. 1 health problem.