Campania is the Italian region with the highest prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes and with the highest number of patients at risk of blindness. Of the 500 thousand diabetics residing in the region (4-5 million diabetics in Italy, ISS), in fact, only 1 in 10 (92%) carries out regular eye checks which allow keep disease-related eye damage at bay.
In absolute numbers, there would be around 460 thousand people from Campania who, due to the diabetic retinopathy, are in danger of suffering permanent damage to their eyesight. For this reason, the Monaldi Hospital in Naples, in collaboration with the Association of Patients with Ocular Diseases (APMO), has organized an awareness and prevention campaign for diabetic maculopathies entitled «Diabetes, let’s keep an eye on it» with the non-conditioning contribution of Roche. On June 5th, free vision checks will be organized for patients treated by Monaldi diabetology at the complex ophthalmology operational unit of the Monaldi Hospital in Naples, which this year obtained the prestigious ISO 9001 certification.
Diabetes, an increasingly widespread disease
«Diabetes is a growing disease – explains Ada Maffettone, an internist with expertise in diabetology at the Monaldi Hospital -. With 62 million people affected in Europe, of which more than 4 million in Italy (to which must be added 1 million who do not know they have it), diabetes it is the fourth cause of death. In Western countries, as well as in Italy and Campania in particular, the increase is mainly related to factors such as the aging of the population and poor lifestyles. The major complications resulting from the disease can cause significant damage at a neurological, renal, cardio-cerebrovascular and ocular level.”
There Diabetic retinopathy is among the most widespread complications. «It is the most important and early ocular complication of diabetes mellitus and is still today in industrialized countries the main cause of legal blindness – explains Gianluigi Manzi, doctor of the Retina service of the Monaldi Ophthalmology Unit -. Epidemiological data say that at least 30% of the diabetic population develops ocular complications. The symptoms related to it often appear late, when the lesions are already advanced, and this often limits the effectiveness of the treatment.”
«The main risk factors associated with the earlier onset and more rapid evolution of diabetic retinopathy are: the duration of diabetesThe poor glycemic control and the possible concomitant arterial hypertension. In the early stages, diabetic retinopathy is generally asymptomatic. The lack of symptoms, however, does not indicate the absence of damage to the retina since the reduction in vision, which the patient notices, often appears only when the macular region is affected or other symptoms that are sometimes underestimated such as the appearance of mobile spots, blurred vision, the appearance of dark areas, low vision, increasing difficulty seeing and blindness” he concluded.
Diabetic retinopathy: a complication to keep at bay
The good news is that diabetic retinopathy can be kept at bay, preventing blindness, with new diagnostic methodologies and the support of molecules for intravitreal use and it is possible to prevent blindness. «Provided, however, that regular checks are carried out which allow for a timely diagnosis of the first signs of the disease and that diabetes is well controlled – specifies Francesco Calabrò, director of the Monaldi Ophthalmology Unit -. Early diagnosis and management they are therefore essential for saving sight. This is why it is important to raise awareness among people with diabetes of the importance of going to the ophthalmologist, even in the absence of symptoms, to carry out an examination of the fundus of the eye before the retina has suffered damage.” The later one intervenes, the less likely it is to reverse the damage of the disease with very high health and social costs, as well as serious repercussions on the quality of life.
«Today it is estimated that in Italy there are over 1 million diabetics suffering from retinopathy, but this data could be widely underestimated because people do not have regular checks – underlines Michele Allamprense, Executive Director of the Association of Patients with Ocular Diseases (APMO) -. Campania that it already has the sad record of being the region in Italy with the highest number of diabetics, patients also tend to neglect their sight by skipping check-ups at least until the disease has caused significant damage which is then more difficult to intervene on. To reverse this trend, it is therefore essential to carry out information and awareness campaigns that give patients with diabetes the opportunity to learn about the risks linked to the onset of retinopathy and the importance of prevention.”
«Patients often come to us with already advanced problems, complicating the treatment process – concludes Manzi -. For this reason with the will to Francesco Calabrò and the passion of Ada Maffettone, head of Diabetology of the Hospital and with the support and encouragement of the Eye Disease Patients Association, we have decided to open our clinics for a first day of screening for diabetic patients which will continue with a weekly clinic ». «Diabetes is a silent epidemic which requires a multidisciplinary approach. The Colli Hospital focuses on personalized therapies. The ISO 9001 certification of our path for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy is a further guarantee for our patients” is the comment of Anna Iervolino, general director of the Colli Hospital.
