Silver Book Fact
Diabetic retinopathy often causes vision loss and blindness during working age years, resulting in more disability and person-years of vision lost than other eye diseases.
Kempen J, O'Colmain B, Leske M, et al. The Prevalence of Diabetic Retinopathy Among Adults in the United States. Archives of Ophthalmology. 2004; 122(4): 552-63. http://archopht.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=416212