Title:Traditional and Novel Risk Factors of Diabetic Retinopathy and Research Challenges
Volume: 20
Issue: 26
Author(s): Gavin S. Tan, M. Kamran Ikram and Tien Y. Wong
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Diabetic retinopathy, epidemiology, genetics, biological markers, risk factors.
Abstract: Diabetic retinopathy affects one-third of people with diabetes and is the most frequent cause of blindness in
working aged adults. Although diabetic retinopathy blindness appears to have fallen in the developed world, the rapidly
increasing number of persons with diabetes worldwide has resulted in a continuous increase in the global burden of this
disease. The major risk factors for diabetic retinopathy include duration of diabetes, hyperglycemia, and hypertension, but
this is accountable for only a small amount of the variation in the risk of diabetic retinopathy. Research into new markers
for retinopathy including genetics, blood biomarkers and retinal imaging will further improve our understanding of the
risk factors and pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy.
