How common is diabetic retinopathy?

80% of diabetics: 80% of diabetics who have had diabetes for at least ten years suffer with diabetic retinopathy. Research indicates that at least ninety percent of these new cases could be reduced if there was proper and vigilant treatment and monitoring of the eyes.

Too common...: Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults ages 20–74 years. Between 2005–2008, 4.2 million—28.5 percent—people with diabetes ages 40 years or older had diabetic retinopathy, and of these, 655, 000—4.4 percent of those with diabetes—had advanced diabetic retinopathy that could lead to severe vision loss.