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. 2015 Apr;6(2):405.
doi: 10.4172/2155-9570.1000405. Epub 2015 Mar 13.

Beyond HbA1c: Environmental Risk Factors for Diabetic Retinopathy

Kristen Harris Nwanyanwu  1 , Paula-Anne Newman-Casey  2 , Thomas W Gardner  2 , Jennifer I Lim  1
Affiliations

Beyond HbA1c: Environmental Risk Factors for Diabetic Retinopathy

Kristen Harris Nwanyanwu et al. J Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2015 Apr.

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy affects 4.2 million people in the United States and is the leading cause of blindness in working-aged people. As the prevalence of diabetes continues to rise, cost-effective interventions to decrease blindness from diabetic retinopathy will be paramount. While HbA1c and duration of disease are known risk factors, they account for only 11% of the risk of developing microvascular complications from the disease. The assessment of environmental risk factors for diabetic eye disease allows for the determination of modifiable population-level challenges that may be addressed to facilitate the end of blindness from diabetes.

Keywords: Diabetes; Diabetic retinopathy; Retina.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Circle of environmental influence on patient outcomes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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