Cataract surgery and diabetic retinopathy

Diabetes mellitus is increasing around the world with 171 million affected persons in 2000 and projected prevalences of 221 and 366 million affected patients by 2010 and 2030, respectively.,2 In the United States, an estimated 7.8% of the population has diabetes.3 Diabetic patients have an increased risk of developing cataract and develop cataract at an earlier age than patients without diabetes.1,4-8 In developed nations, 11-25% of all cataract surgery is performed in patients with diabetes and 1.2-5.0% of these patients will have concomitant diabetic retinopathy.7,9-13 Thus, cataract surgery in patients with diabetes and with diabetic retinopathy is common, yet the interactions of cataract surgery and the diabetic eye are incompletely understood and a subject of controversy. © 2010 Springer-Verlag New York.

Duke Scholars

Author David Judson Browning Ophthalmology