Public health focus: prevention of blindness associated with diabetic retinopathy.

Each year in the United States, as many as 40,000 new cases of blindness occur among persons with diabetes (CDC, unpublished data, 1993). Diabetes is the leading cause of new blindness among U.S. adults aged 20-74 years. In addition, persons with diabetes are 25 times more likely than the general population to become blind. Most of this blindness in persons with diabetes results from diabetic retinopathy, a disorder characterized by microvascular changes and hemorrhage in the retina. Seven million persons in the United States have diabetes, and diabetic retinopathy will affect the majority during their lifetimes. This report summarizes information regarding the efficacy, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of screening for diabetic retinopathy.