title: Diabetes mellitus and the eye.
abstract: In Belgium as in other industrialized countries, diabetic retinopathy is still the most important cause of blindness in the active population group, but can be prevented by an early and adequate treatment. This highly socio-economic problem should therefore have priority with the autorities of the Belgian Health Department. The costs of a well-organized screening programme of the diabetic population are far less than the costs that arise from the economic and social consequences caused by irreversable visual loss, the costs of long and expensive treatments and long periods of inability to work, when advanced diabetic eye disease has developed. Guidelines for management and timely treatment of patients with diabetic retinopathy are available, but should be implemented more vigorously.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Ghent, De Pintelaan 185, 9000 Ghent, Belgium. hildegaard.priem@ugent.be
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Priem
mesh_terms: D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards*; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index