News - Hypertension Week of June 1, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 22

Study: High Blood Pressure, Diabetes Can Lead to Eye Problems in Blacks

Blacks with poorly-controlled diabetes and high blood pressure are more likely to develop an sight-threatening eye conditon, according to a report in the May issue of Ophthalmology.

Researchers found that these two conditions increase the risk of diabetic retinopathy, a potentially blinding complication that damages the eye's retina. Diabetic retinopathy ultimately affects half of all Americans diagnosed with diabetes, according to the National Eye Institute.

The researchers also linked the combination of high blood pressure and poorly contolled diabetes to increases in intraocular pressure, a major risk factor for glaucoma.

The findings are based on two studies conducted in Barbados, involving people of African descent with diabetes and hypertension.

Over 30 percent of those without diabetic retinopathy at the beginning of one study had developed the condition four years later. Another study found that over a four-year period, intraocular pressure increased by 2.5 mmHg in the participants.

The researchers concluded that educational and medical interventions to improve diabetic management, improve control of elevated blood pressure, as well as timely eye examinations, have the potential to decrease visual loss from diabetic retinopathy.

Other sources: American Academy of Ophthalmology