Around half of young adults with type 2 diabetes develop diabetic retinopathy within a dozen years following diagnosis, suggests new research.

The study has provided key guidance on diabetes management and eye care to young patients and their families, as well as doctors, said Rose Gubitosi-Klug, study author. Around 14% of the study participants initially had very early changes to the eye. On evaluating just 7 years later, about half are having eye changes, some with advanced disease, stated Gubitosi-Klug.

The Treatment Options for Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth (TODAY) study had revealed a 13.9% prevalence of diabetic retinopathy in young individuals with type 2 diabetes for an average of about 5 years. Seven years later, 420 of the 517 participants again had retinal photograph tests. Around 49% of participants, with average age of only 25, had developed diabetic retinopathy. The findings are published online in Diabetes Care… (Medscape)