Severe diabetic retinopathy at presentation in a young man.

A 22 year old man presented with a severe ischaemic diabetic retinopathy and, in spite of photocoagulation therapy, was blind in one eye 16 months after diagnosis. Four similar cases of aggressive diabetic retinopathy are reviewed. There is increasing evidence that a small group of young men with insulin dependent diabetes (IDD) may develop severe diabetic retinopathy at, or soon after, diagnosis.