Silver Book Fact
The number of Americans age 65 and older with diabetic retinopathy is projected to close to quadruple between 2005 and 2050–increasing from 2.5 million to 9.9 million. The number of people age 65 and older with vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy is projected to grow from 0.5 million in 2005 to 1.9 million in 2050.
Saaddine J, Honeycutt A, Narayan V, Zhang X, et al. Projection of Diabetic Retinopathy and Other Major Eye Diseases Among People with Diabetes Mellitus: United States 2005-2050. Arch Ophthalmol. 2008; 126(12): 170-7. http://archopht.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/126/12/1740.pdf