Healthy Vision Month offers diabetics exams

Advertiser Staff

In Hawai'i, diabetes is a prevalent concern. Diabetes can also impair vision, causing diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of vision loss among adults in the United States.

Early detection, timely treatment and appropriate follow-up care can reduce the risk of blindness by 95 percent, even for people with established diabetic retinopathy.

As part of of Healthy Vision Month, Hawai'i seniors are being encouraged to sign up for free eye exams and up to one year of treatment at no out-of-pocket cost to qualified patients, through the Diabetes EyeCare Program of EyeCare America, the public service foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

All eligible callers will receive a referral to one of Hawai'i's 38 EyeCare America volunteer ophthalmologists. Volunteer ophthalmologists accept Medicare and/or other insurance reimbursement as payment in full.

Healthy Vision Month is a national campaign to reduce visual impairment due to diabetic retinopathy, sponsored by the National Eye Institute and the National Eye Health Education Program.

EyeCare America's Diabetes EyeCare Program is designed for people who have diabetes, are U.S. citizens or legal residents, are age 65 and older, have not seen an ophthalmologist in three or more years, and do not have eye care insurance through a health-maintenance organization or veteran's health benefits. To receive a referral for an eye exam and care, call (800) 272-3937 (EYES), or go to www.eyecareamerica.org.

Diabetes watch

• Diabetes afflicts approximately 6.3 percent of the U.S. population. An estimated 13 million have been diagnosed, but one-third are unaware that they have the disease.
• Everyone with diabetes is at risk for developing diabetic retinopathy, the most common form of diabetic eye disease. The longer a person has diabetes, the more likely is he or she to have retinopathy.
• In its early stages, diabetic retinopathy usually has no warning signs. Over time, however, the vision blurs and everyday tasks become more difficult. Vision lost cannot usually be regained.
• With timely treatment, 95 percent of those with significant diabetic retinopathy can be saved from substantial vision loss.