Daily HealthBeat Tip

Keeping an eye on diabetes.

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

The damage done by diabetes can sneak up on you. In fact, some research finds the damage can begin even earlier than when diabetes sets in � while people have a condition called pre-diabetes. That's when blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not so high that they lead to a diagnosis of diabetes. Researchers supported by the National Institutes of Health found some of these people with pre-diabetes have an eye problem called diabetic retinopathy -- changes in tiny vessels in the back of the eye.

If diabetic retinopathy is not caught early, it can lead to vision loss. So Dr. Emily Chew of the National Eye Institute advises people to catch it early:

"Patients in so-called pre-diabetic state may be having some changes that are diabetic retinopathy-like, and perhaps they are true diabetic retinopathy. This may predict perhaps further problems down the road, so it's very important for them to have a regular eye exam." (12 seconds)

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: July 20, 2005

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