Image via WikipediaThe Los Angeles Times reports, Nearly three in 10 Americans with diabetes over the age of 40 suffer from vision impairment caused by diabetic retinopathy, and about 4.4% have a form of the condition so severe it threatens their eyesight, according to a study published in the August 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

HealthDay reported that the news wasn't all bad, however. The findings suggest that good control of blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol can go a long way toward preventing or slowing diabetic eye disease. For the study, CDC researchers reviewed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2008, which included nearly 7,000 people over age 40, 1,006 of whom had diabetes.

Focusing on specific gender and ethnic/racial demographics, reported that 31.6% men and 25.7% of women over age 40 who have diabetes are estimated to have diabetic retinopathy, while 38.8% of non-Hispanic blacks were estimated to have diabetic retinopathy, 34% of Mexican-Americans, and 26.4% of non-Hispanic whites. Interestingly, age was not a major factor among the study group.

Independent risk factors for diabetic retinopathy included male sex, higher hemoglobin A1c level, longer duration of diabetes, and higher systolic blood pressure, with respective odds ratios of 2.07, 1.45, 1.06 per year of duration, and 1.03 per millimeter of mercury.

Posted in: Blood pressure, Diabetic retinopathy, Los Angeles Times, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey