Publisher's Synopsis
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder, characterized by uncontrolled blood sugar levels
in the blood. Diabetes is an outcome of either pancreas not producing enough
insulin or not utilizing the produced hormone effectively [1]. The carbohydrates
in the food we eat are broken down to glucose, and insulin is the hormone responsible
to take in the glucose to be used for energy. If the required energy is suffice,
insulin signals the liver to store the glucose as glycogen. Insulin maintains a balance
between the high (hyperglycaemia) and low (hypoglycaemia) sugar levels.
Insulin insufficiency is the prime reason of diabetes. The reason for attack of body's
auto-immune system on pancreas in Type-I diabetes is unknown but the reason for
ever increasing Type-II diabetes population is lifestyle of people which includes
insufficient physical activity, high-calorie diet resulting into obesity & high blood
pressure which facilitate insulin resistance in body. Uncontrolled Diabetes brings
too many complications along with it. Thus, the Diabetes has become the leading
health emergency across the world.
Diabetic eye disease is a serious complication of diabetes, comprising preponderantly
of Diabetic Retinopathy (DR). DR occurs as a direct outcome of chronic hyperglycaemia,
causing damage to blood retinal barrier, leading to leakage and
blockage in retinal capillaries [3]. This may cause loss of vision and sooner or
later lead to blindness.
DR is recognised as one of the leading causes of impaired vision with severe personal and socio-economic implications in working age population, inspite of being possibly preventable and treatable. DR affects about one
out of three diabetic patients. The span of diabetes is the most effective predictor
of DR prevalence. According to IDF, it is estimated that about 191 million diabetic
people are likely to develop DR by 2030. Current estimates show 56.3 million
people worsening to vision-threatening DR if immediate and proper steps are not
taken.
