Eye (Lond). 2026 May 9. doi: 10.1038/s41433-026-04519-9. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Diabetes prevalence is increasing in Taiwan, raising concern over vision impairment among affected individuals. This study aimed to assess the burden of cause-specific vision imp…
Eye (Lond). 2026 May 9. doi: 10.1038/s41433-026-04519-9. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Diabetes prevalence is increasing in Taiwan, raising concern over vision impairment among affected individuals. This study aimed to assess the burden of cause-specific vision impairment among individuals with diabetes, overall and stratified by age, sex, geographic region, and time, with a particular focus on diabetic retinopathy (DR).
METHODS: A cross-sectional, annual analysis was conducted from 2010 to 2020. Population prevalence of major eye diseases among adults aged ≥20 years with diabetes was obtained from the National Health Insurance Research Database. Ophthalmological data from a multicentre electronic medical record system across various hospital levels were used to characterise cause-specific vision impairment. Hierarchical Bayesian models integrated these datasets to estimate the prevalence of vision impairment and corresponding years lived with disability.
RESULTS: In 2019, DR accounted for 1283.9 years lived with disability (95% credible interval: 992.9-1, 644.6), comprising 50.8% of the total vision impairment burden among individuals with diabetes, followed by glaucoma (11.7%) and cataract (9.9%). The age-standardised prevalence per 1000 individuals for DR-related vision impairment was 0.58 (0.43-0.76), 0.50 (0.36-0.67), 0.12 (0.06-0.20), and 0.09 (0.05-0.17) for mild, moderate, severe, and blindness, respectively. Higher burdens were observed in females, individuals aged 20-39, and residents of eastern Taiwan. Between 2010 and 2020, the prevalence of DR-related vision impairment decreased in the 55-69 age group and increased in the 20-39 age group.
CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights high-risk subgroups for vision impairment among individuals with diabetes, providing evidence to inform targeted public health and diabetes eye-care strategies.
PMID:42106508 | DOI:10.1038/s41433-026-04519-9