Diabetic Eye Disease to Increase as More Young People Are Diagnosed With Diabetes

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, Nov 12 (MARKET WIRE) --
The incidence of diabetes continues to increase, particularly among
adolescents and young adults. The CDC projects the number of diabetic
retinopathy cases will double by 2050. On World Diabetes Day, November
14, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy), through its
EyeSmart(TM) campaign, is reminding the public that an annual dilated eye
exam can help prevent vision loss in people with diabetes. To promote
awareness of the need for an annual eye exam, the Academy, along with its
partners the American Society of Retina Specialists, the Macula Society
and the Retina Society, has launched EyeSmart EyeCommitted, a social
media campaign to encourage people with diabetes to pledge to get an
annual eye exam.

"As ophthalmologists, we are concerned that the increase in Type 2
diabetes cases at younger ages could mean people may be facing
vision-threatening eye disease in the prime of their lives," said David
W. Parke II, MD, executive vice president and CEO of the Academy. "That
is why we're urging people with diabetes to get EyeCommitted. By taking
charge of their eye health, Americans can greatly reduce their risk of
losing their sight from diabetes."

The EyeCommitted campaign, which is promoted through social media
channels, includes an interactive pledge application that:

-- Encourages visitors to take the EyeCommitted pledge to have an annual
diabetic eye exam;

-- Allows users to share the pledge and campaign information with friends
and family;

-- Features important diabetic eye disease information and a new video
that tells the compelling stories of two patients with diabetic
retinopathy; and,

-- Allows users to post the application onto their preferred social media
sites.

For each pledge, the Academy will commit another $1 to its diabetic
eye health education efforts.

Detailed information about diabetic eye disease is also available on the
EyeSmart Web site.

The EyeCommitted campaign comes at a time when there is a documented rise
in Type 2 diabetes rates among Americans, particularly among the young. An
estimated 23.6 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes, but nearly one
quarter are unaware of it. African-Americans and people of Hispanic
heritage are more likely to have diabetes.

"Once they are diagnosed, people with diabetes will have to manage their
eye health closely for decades, including through their peak work years,"
said Abdhish R. Bhavsar, MD, Director of Clinical Research at the Retina
Center of Minnesota and an attending surgeon at the Phillips Eye Institute
in Minneapolis. "That's why it is critical for people with Type 2 diabetes
to get an eye exam as soon after their diagnosis as possible and then
annually thereafter." For people with Type 1 diabetes, also known as
juvenile diabetes, the Academy recommends that the first dilated eye exam
should take place within three to five years of initial diagnosis and then
annually thereafter.

To find an Eye M.D. in your area, please visit www.GetEyeSmart.org.
Consumers can submit questions about eye health to an ophthalmologist at
http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/ask/

About the American Academy of Ophthalmology

AAO is the world's largest association of eye physicians and surgeons --
Eye M.D.s -- with more than 27,000 members worldwide. Eye health care is
provided by the three "O's" -- opticians, optometrists and
ophthalmologists. It is the ophthalmologist, or Eye M.D., who can treat it
all: eye diseases and injuries, and perform eye surgery. For more
information, visit the Academy's Web site at www.aao.org.

Contact:
Media Relations
(415) 561-8534
media@aao.org

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