Prevent Blindness offers videos, fact sheets, social media graphics and PowerPoint presentations to help ophthalmologists educate the public on the potential effects diabetes may have on vision.

Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness among adults from 18 to 64.

Prevent Blindness has declared November as Diabetes-related Eye Disease Month in an effort to provide the public with a variety of helpful tools to prevent unnecessary vision loss from diabetes.

According to the 2022 National Diabetes Statistics Report from the Centers f

or Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 11% of the U.S. population (approximately 37.3 million people) have diabetes.

Moreover, the study also found that 38% of adults 18 and older in the U.S., some 96 million people, have prediabetes. Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness among adults from 18 to 64, according to a Prevent Blindness news release.

According to a news release, anew episode of the Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health Expert Series dedicated to diabetes-related eye disease and health disparities will also be available during November.

Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness, will interview Kristen Nwanyanwu, MD, MBA, MHS, associate professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Yale School of Medicine. Nwanyanwu is the principal investigator at the SEEN Lab (Sight Saving Engagement and Evaluation in New Haven).

In 2022, Prevent Blindness revamped its popular Diabetes & the Eyes Educational Toolkit, available in English and Spanish, which includes educational resources, such Power Point presentations, shareable social media graphics and a dedicated webpage. Fact sheets, including the new “Diabetes-related Eye Disease and Mental Health” fact sheet are also available. These resources are intended for healthcare professionals, community health educators, and those in a caregiving or diabetes education role. The Diabetes & The Eyes program, supported by funding from Regeneron, also includes:

Comprehensive Video Series- Prevent Blindness produced a new series of videos, including “Diabetes, Vision Loss, and Mental Wellness.” Videos funded in part by Focus on Diabetes, an eye health initiative of the AmericanDiabetes Association include: “The Patient Perspective: Diabetes-related Eye Disease,” and the upcoming videos “Newly Diagnosed with Diabetes: What you need to know about your eyes,” ” Patient centered care,” “Advice from a patient living with diabetes,” “Vision loss and diabetes,” and “Introduction to the Diabetes + the Eyes Educational Toolkit.”

Patient Education Webinar- Panelists of the “Diabetes and Your Eyes: A Conversation Around Patient-Centered Care” webinar discuss how health care providers coordinate care for persons with diabetes, talk with each other, and consider patient needs. Leading doctors from throughout the United States who care for individuals with diabetes as well as person with diabetes participate in the conversation.

Community-Level Health Education and Support- Prevent Blindness affiliates across the country continue to work with other local partner organizations to educate the public on a variety of vision and eye health issues related to diabetes, and offer support resources.

“Many people with diabetes may not know about the damaging effects the disease can have on vision,” Todd said in a news release. “We thank our partners for helping us educate the public on the steps that can be taken today in orderto help save sight from diabetes-related eye disease.”

For more information on the “Diabetes & the Eyes” program, please visit https://www.preventblindness.org/diabetes-and-eyes-educational-toolkit. For general diabetes information, visit http://preventblindness.org/diabetes.