Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic, and largely preventable, disease that can lead to cardiovascular disease, blindness, kidney failure, loss of limbs and loss of life. It causes suffering and hardship for the approximately 60 million people in the European Region currently living with the disease, while also straining the Region’s economies and health systems.

Spotlight on people who risk losing their sight 14-04-2021

“Diabetes is a disease that continues to increase, but it is still in the shadows,” says Dr Nino Berdzuli, Director of the Division of Country Health Programmes at WHO Europe. “Although most countries in the WHO European Region carry out eye screening for people with diabetes, opportunities to prevent blindness and vision impairment still are being missed."

Diabetic Retinopathy Screening

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness across the WHO European Region, with an estimated 950 000 people affected.