Eye Sight Threatened By Diabetes Awarded Grant For Research

Research to Prevent Blindness awarded $110,000.00 to Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Department of Ophthalmology. Research to Prevent Blindness is the top voluntary group that supports research pertaining to the eyes.

The Department of Ophthalmology under the leadership of Jonathan H. Lass, MD, has been awarded grants of over $1.6 million during the past eleven years. Dr. Jonathan Lass said they are delighted that the Research to Prevent Blindness has continued to support and acknowledge their effort to keep on with the research.

It is essential to continue on with the research as the science of vision is constantly changing. The award will help them go on with the research to recognize why blindness happens and the ways to prevent and treat it. Among the conditions they are researching are macular degeneration, corneal cataracts, scarring, ocular inflammation, genetic eye diseases and retinopathy in diabetes.

The Research to Prevent Blindness was founded in 1960. Since its founding, it has awarded hundred of millions of dollars for research on eye diseases that lead to blindness. The grants have been awarded to medical organizations all over the United States.

If you want more information on Research to Prevent Blindness and the researches being funded, along with eye disorders and their grant program, you can go to http://www.rpbusa.org/

The leading cause of blindness among most adults is diabetes. A comprehensive eye exam can detect this but only 38% of those who do not wear glasses have been to see their eye doctor in the last two years. To think that almost 21 millions in the US have diabetes and more than six millions are not diagnosed.

Those who are at high risk for diabetes should have dilated eye exams regularly and those who are already diagnosed with diabetes should have this examination every year. This should be the first line of detection. In fact, sometimes diabetic retinopathy is the first sign of diabetes seen when drops are put in the eyes during a dilated eye exam.

Conditions that threaten health are sometimes discovered during the eye exam. This discovery may even save the lives of those concerned. The effects of both high blood cholesterol and blood pressure can be seen during the dilated eye exam because the only place in the body where the natural state of the blood vessels can be seen is in the eyes.

I am glad the researches are continuing for this is really a big help in the prevention of eye complications for diabetes. They are already finding ways to help prevent this condition and so the world will only be brighter for those who are at risk for diabetic retinopathy.