Diabetes and Eye Health: What Do People Really Know?

Diabetes is a huge problem. More than half a billion people around the world have it. In India, especially in the northeast, many people don't know how diabetes can hurt their eyes. This is a big deal because diabetes can cause blindness in working-age adults. A recent study looked at how much people know about diabetes and its risks to eye health. The study talked to over 1, 700 people visiting an eye clinic. Most were between 23 and 94 years old, and more men than women took part. Nearly half of them had diabetes. The study found that people with diabetes knew more about the risks than those without it. But even they didn't know much about lifestyle risks like being inactive or overweight.Younger people, under 55, knew more about diabetes risks and symptoms. Most people with diabetes knew that blurry vision is a symptom. But not everyone knew about blood tests for monitoring diabetes. Only 45% knew the normal range for blood sugar after eating. Both diabetics and non-diabetics had low awareness of normal fasting blood sugar and HbA1c levels. The study also found that where people lived, their religion, family type, marital status, and money level affected their knowledge. People with diabetes were more aware of the risks. But overall, awareness was still low. This shows that more education is needed to help people understand diabetes and its risks to eye health.