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LOS ANGELES – (April 25, 2012) – Millions of people in the U.S have undetected vision problems and eye conditions. Many common eye diseases that can lead to vision loss and blindness, such as diabetic eye disease, glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration often have no early warning signs. According to the National Institutes of Health and the National Eye Institute, minorities are at a higher risk for certain eye-related diseases. Statistics show that:
- Among African Americans, the leading causes of blindness are cataract and glaucoma. African Americans are also at greater risk for diabetic retinopathy.
- Among Hispanics, glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness but goes undetected in 82 percent of cases. Hispanics are also at greater risk for cataract and diabetic retinopathy.
- Asian Americans are at increased risk for glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
Says Richard Baker, MD, Provost and Dean of the College of Medicine at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU), “We recommend that people of color get acomprehensive dilated eye exam during healthy vision month to get a baseline for their visual acumen and to detect any signs of disease. Our research shows that glaucoma strikes earlier and progresses faster in African Americans and that the risk for glaucoma is 20% higher if the disease runs in your family. Additionally, age and other diseases such as diabetes and hypertension increase the risk of eye disease. Here at CDU, we use teleophthalmology, a 21st century cutting edge technology, to identify and screen for eye diseases, particularly diabetic retinopathy. With appropriate screening and treatment, we can reduce blindness for diabetic retinopathy by 95%--that is a very significant statistic. We partner with community health centers all over Los Angeles County to screen and treat these conditions. ”
Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the normal fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises which can lead to vision loss or even blindness. At glaucoma’s onset, there may be no symptoms, but as the disease progresses, one may notice that their vision is gradually fading. The field of vision eventually narrows and blindness may result. While glaucoma cannot be cured, it can be controlled if detected early.
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Risk factors for cataract include diseases such as diabetes, personal behavior (smoking, alcohol use) and the environment (prolonged exposure to ultraviolet sunlight). Symptoms of a cataract are cloudy or blurry vision, poor night vision, double vision or multiple images in one eye, colors that seem faded, glare from headlights, lamps or sunlight appearing too bright. Cataracts can be treated with surgery and this surgery is very successful in restoring vision. In fact, it is one of the most common surgeries performed in the US.
Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness in American adults. This sight-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority populations. Diet control and routine eye screening can diminish the public health impact of this devastating condition in minority communities. However, racial and ethnic minority patients are more likely to have poorer glycemic control and are less likely to be screened for diabetic retinopathy than their white counterparts. Patient, provider, and health care system factors play a role in these disparities. While public health interventions are necessary on a large scale to preserve vision in minority communities, it is also essential that individual health care providers better understand the impact of diabetic retinopathy on minority communities and the available interventions to reduce its impact. Maximizing their efforts to improve diabetes-related vision care for their racial and ethnic minority patients can lead to a decrease in diabetic retinopathy disparities.
Concludes Dr. Baker, “Our mission at CDU is to examine and address health disparities among minorities with the goal of reducing disease prevalence through research and education. With annual health checkups in addition to the educational research, technology utilized and outreach that CDU conducts with health centers in Los Angeles County, we hope to see a decrease in minority related eye disease.”
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About Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
CDU is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian, minority-serving medical and health sciences institution. Located in the Watts-Willowbrook area of South Los Angeles, CDU has graduated more than 550 medical doctors, 2,500 post-graduate physicians, more than 2,000 physician assistants and hundreds of other health professionals. The only dually designated Historically Black Graduate Institution and Hispanic Serving Health Professions School in the U.S., CDU is recognized as a leader in translational and health inequities research, specifically with respect to heart disease, diabetes, cancer, mental health, and HIV/AIDS. Recently, the CDU/UCLA medical program was named the “best performer” in the University of California System with respect to producing outstanding underrepresented minority physicians by the Greenlining Institute. For more information, visit
http://www.cdrewu.edu/
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