Research Agenda for Global Blindness Prevention:

Clinical Conditions: 6. Diabetic Retinopathy and Age-Related Macular Degeneration

On this page:

• Research Opportunities - Short- to Long-Term

These two conditions are becoming increasingly important everywhere as populations "age."

AMD is already a major cause of blindness in wealthy countries, and increasingly important among middle class and wealthy urban populations of the developing world. Intervention options for AMD, however, remain rudimentary and expensive everywhere.

Diabetic retinopathy is a rapidly growing problem, even in developing countries.

Increasingly, populations are obtaining insulin and therefore surviving IDD, while the global epidemic of obesity is fueling a dramatic increase in the incidence of NIDD.

Treatment of diabetic retinopathy is effective, and in wealthy countries (as well as for the urban elite of poor countries) affordable and cost-effective.

Operations research may make it cost-effective even for poor populations, particularly if targeted to those at high risk because of genetic or nutritional factors.

Research opportunities

Short- to Long-Term:

• Documenting population variations in risk (AMD, DR) may help elucidate genetic and environmental markers/pathogenetic mechanisms
  
  
• The nature of angiogenesis and its relation to antioxidant intake may better be studied in micronutrient poor populations
  
  
• Better tools are needed for defining risk, early disease, and tracking progression
  
  
• Operational research provides opportunities for extending retinal photocoagulation to poor populations suffering from diabetic retinopathy

Next: Clinical Conditions: 7. Refractive Error

Also see: Table of Contents of the Research Agenda for Global Blindness Prevention