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There are legions of individuals in the United States who have diabetes and are aware of some of the normal symptoms of diabetes.  For example, many people – even those who do not have diabetes – are aware that some of the symptoms are excessive thirst, frequent urination and fatigue.  They are aware that some issues linked to diabetes or some issues that can be exacerbated by diabetes are high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems and possible stroke.

What many people do not know about diabetes is that one of the serious side effects of diabetes is that of vision problems that can lead to total blindness.
Current research shows that among groups of individuals who are not aware of the visual side-effects of diabetes, one of the least informed groups is Hispanics in the U.S.  One of the reasons for this is that many Hispanics do not get their eyes examined regularly. 

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University conducted the study which focused on Hispanics in particular because their rate of diabetes is quite high, hovering at nearly 2 times as high as that in non-Hispanic white people.  One main reason for this disparity is the language barrier which often keeps individuals from information that could help them access better care.  In addition, lack of information, community outreach, health insurance and other services are also factors that keep the diabetes rates for Hispanics so high. 

One in five Hispanics over age 40 has diabetes and of those, nearly 50% of those have diabetic retinopathy, a condition which often involves the swelling and leaking of blood vessels of the eye and which could lead to blindness. 

When over 550 diabetics in Baltimore were interviewed, many of them had not been to the eye doctor to diagnose or address eye complications.  In fact, a high percentage of them were not aware of that fact, and over 50% of newly diagnosed diabetic Hispanics had not been to the eye doctor for over a year.

More information and outreach is needed in Spanish and needs to be distributed in areas where a lot of Hispanics live so that they can stay abreast of this serious complication of diabetes and keep their vision in tact.