Clinics in 9 Appalachian counties will offer high-tech eye screenings to head off common ailment that blinds diabetics

Kentucky has one of the nation's highest rates of diabetes, but half the diabetics in rural Kentucky don't have annual eye exams – even though nearly 30 percent of diabetics over 40 have diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness among diabetic adults.

To stem that threat, units of the University of Kentucky are using a three-year federal grant to bring diabetic eye screening to diabetics in nine Kentucky Appalachian counties. Diabetic retinopathy can be treated, or avoided altogether, if the disease is detected early enough.

While studies have found that 90 percent of diabetics consult their doctor about their disease, about half the diabetics in rural Kentucky do not have annual eye exams. The grant will make technologically advanced exams available at clinics in Bath, Carter, Elliott, Estill, Jackson, Madison, Menifee, Rockcastle and Rowan counties, sending digital images of the eyes to UK's Department of Ophthalmology.

The specialists will screen the images for cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and other retinal abnormalities that can lead to vision loss and blindness. They will also enter the results into the patient's electronic medical record, for reference by other health-care providers. Currently, only a fraction of the results of community-based eye exams are imported into such records.

The partnership between the UK ophthalmologists, the university's Kentucky TeleCare, and primary care centers where the screenings will be done, is called the Appalachian Eye Network. It will reach nine counties with a combined population of 206,000. All the counties have diabetes rates higher than the national average. The project is expected to screen 4,860 people over the three-year term of the grant.

"Our goal is to reach patients with diabetes and those with high risk factors for diabetes who do not get annual eye exams and help uncover potentially devastating eye disease so it can be treated before the patient loses their vision," said Rob Sprang, director of Kentucky TeleCare. "I believe we have the opportunity to save people’s vision and change lives."

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month; disease is second leading cause of blindness

One million Americans will be diagnosed with glaucoma in the next 10 years, prompting Kentucky optometrists to raise awareness of the disease this month.

"People who do not visit their eye doctor on a regular basis are putting their vision and quality of life at risk," said Dr. Ben Gaddie, president of the Kentucky Optometric Association. "Glaucoma is often referred to as 'the sneak thief of sight' because it can strike without pain or other symptoms. Vision lost to glaucoma cannot be restored, so early detection and treatment are paramount."

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the country. Data from the American Optometric Association show 50 percent of Americans incorrectly believe glaucoma is preventable and fewer than 20 percent of Americans are aware glaucoma causes deterioration of peripheral vision.

The Glaucoma Research Foundation has found African Americans ages 45 to 65 are 14 to 17 times more likely to go blind from the disease than Caucasians. People with a family history of glaucoma, those over the age of 60 or people who have experienced severe eye trauma are also more prone to the disease. (Read more)