ACTIVE PREVENTION IN DIABETIC EYE DISEASE - A 4-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Ten gears after the foundation of a national diabetic eye screening pr ogram in 1980, we have established a low prevalence of blindness and p artial sight in type 1 and type 2 diabetics in Iceland, We ask whether the screening program is also associated with a low incidence of blin dness in diabetics. We now report the results of a prospective study o n the 4-year incidence of diabetic retinopathy and visual impairment i n type 1 diabetics with age at onset less than 30 years, Out of 205 pa tients participating at baseline, 175 patients (85.4%) participated ov er the fun 4-year period, Patients were examined annually and received laser treatment according to Diabetic- and Early Treatment Diabetic R etinopathy Study criteria, The 4-year incidence of any retinopathy was 38.1%, of proliferative retinopathy 6.6%, and of macular edema 3.4%, Out of 174 patients, 7.4% showed improvement in visual acuity of 2 Sne llen lines while 2.5% experienced worsening of visual acuity of 2 Snel len lines during the 4-year period, No diabetic suffered more than 2 l ines deterioration of vision and none became legally blind, The incide nce of retinopathy in Icelandic type I diabetics participating in our annual eye screening program is low and the visual acuity stable, Our results suggest that visual impairment in diabetics can be prevented w ith active regular screening and standard laser therapy.