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the ICO, the International Diabetes Federation, the World Council of Optometry, and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness released a Global Statement on Diabetes and Eye Heath calling for urgent action from governments, medical associations, service providers, and patient organizations to:

1. Integrate eye health within routine diabetes care by primary health care providers
2. Improve collaboration across the diabetes and eye health sectors
3. Foster and support patient-centered care approaches for diabetic eye health.

Diabetic retinopathy diagnostic assessment and treatment options have improved dramatically since the 2002 American Diabetes Association Position Statement. These improvements include the widespread adoption of optical coherence tomography to assess retinal thickness and intraretinal pathology and wide-field fundus photography to reveal clinically silent microvascular lesions. Treatment of diabetic macular edema is now achieved by intravitreous injection of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor agents, and the same drugs are now used for proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Improvements in medications and devices for the systemic therapy of diabetes have also improved the ability of patients to optimize their metabolic control. This Position Statement incorporates these recent developments for the use of physicians and patients.

The IAPB Advocacy Guide aims to explain best practice advocacy techniques. It also offers tips on useful tools, and provides some real life examples of successful advocacy in practice.