Diabetes patients are TWICE as likely to develop cataracts

Diabetics are twice as likely to develop cataracts than adults who don't suffer from the killer condition, new research suggests.

As The Daily Mail reports, women sufferers had the greatest risk of cataracts - the leading cause of blindness across the world that starts as a clouding of the lens in the eye.

And the 15-year study concluded that middle-aged patients were nearly six times more likely to develop the vision-robbing condition.

It is unsure why diabetes leads to cataracts, however, charities consider it a known complication for adults with poorly managed blood sugar levels.

Cataracts often strike older adults, and gradually worsen their vision over time. It's estimated to strike 4.5 million over-65s in England.

Surgery costing £750 per eye can reverse the condition, and patients claim that it transforms their lives and allows them to regain their independence.

However, the Mail has campaigned for years to end the postcode lottery that has led to thousands being denied the straightforward 30 minute operations.

Health watchdogs ordered the end of the shameful rationing of the procedures back in October, and sufferers can now get it as soon as their life is affected by vision loss.

The latest study involved a team of international researchers from Anglia Ruskin University, University Hospitals Bristol, Switzerland and Boston University.

It aimed to assess incidence rates of cataracts in 56,000 patients, all aged over 40, with diabetes. Cataracts are a known complication of diabetes. 

The participants were all followed for 15 years to determine the link between the two conditions, which has existed for years. 

The research, published in the journal Eye, found that cataracts was diagnosed at an overall rate of 20.4 per 1,000 people with diabetes.

In comparison, just 10.8 per 1,000 of the general population were diagnosed with cataracts - which is also linked to smoking and boozing. 

Diabetics aged between 45 and 54 were considerably more likely than non-sufferers to develop cataract, with their risk being 4.6 times higher.

And those aged between 50 and 54 were nearly 6 times more likely to develop cataracts, according to the results. 

Professor Rupert Bourne, co-author, at Anglia Ruskin University, said: 'Cataract is the primary cause of blindness worldwide.

'It is defined as a decrease in the transparency of the crystalline lens and can be further differentiated into nuclear, cortical, or posterior subcapsular cataract (PSC).

'Main risk factors in the developed world, besides advanced age, appear to be smoking, exposure to sunlight, and use of corticosteroids.

'A potential association between female gender and cataract remains controversial. Several studies have reported diabetes as a risk factor for cataract.

'However, there are only few studies conducted with data from the UK, and only one previous study from the 1980s reported on incidence rates of cataract in a diabetic population.'

Faye Riley, Diabetes UK research communications officer, said: 'This large study adds to an existing body of research linking diabetes with a greater risk of cataracts. 

'While this study doesn't prove diabetes directly causes cataracts, we know that people with diabetes are at increased risk of problems with their eyes, which if left untreated could lead to visual impairment, and even blindness. 

'That's why it's really important that people with diabetes have regular eye checks to ensure that any early signs of eye damage can be identified and treated before turning into serious problems.'

There are 3.8 million diabetes patients in the UK - with 90 per cent having type 2. Drugs to treat the conditions cost the NHS a tenth of its yearly budget.

In the US, there are 29 million diabetics, with a similar breakdown between type 1 and 2, with the latter often triggered by poor lifestyles.

The World Health Organization issued a warning to say the world is facing 'a growing diabetes epidemic of potentially devastating proportions' in 2004. 

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