Diabetic Retinopathy: Declining Vision Tied to Lower Quality of Life

Diabetic retinopathy
Image via VA.gov

A new study confirms what might sound like common sense: the more severe one’s case of diabetic retinopathy, the more likely one’s quality of life is to deteriorate.

Published in the journal Ophthalmology (Issue 118, 2011), research suggests that individuals’ quality of life declines more rapidly when their sight loss due to diabetic retinopathy becomes more severe.  The study involved over 1,000 type 2 diabetes patients taking part in the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study.

Authors indicate that quality of life markers related to dependency, mental health, and  tasks that required visual skills, dependence were most significantly impacted by worsening cases of diabetic retinopathy.

Source: OSN Supersite

Link Between Erectile Dysfunction & Diabetic Retinopathy

Not surprisingly, another study finds new information about the link between erectile dysfunction and diabetic retinopathy in men with diabetes.

Published in the journal Urology, this research included men with type 2 diabetes of an average age of 64 years, some of whom exhibited proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and some of whom were diagnosed severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).

Researchers found that there is an association between erectile dysfunction and diabetic retinopathy, regardless of age, time since diabetes diagnosis, and cardiovascular risk factors.

Source: Urology, 4 January 2011