RETINOPATHY AT DIAGNOSIS OF DIABETES, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PATIENTS UNDER 40 YEARS OF AGE

Diabetic retinopathy was present in 7•5% of 5,157 newly diagnosed patients seen at the Birmingham General Hospital Diabetic Clinic between 1960 and 1967. Although the condition becomes commoner with increasing age it is found in 1-5% of patients aged 20 to 39 years. The aetiology is discussed, the conclusion being that in young as in elderly diabetics asymptomatic diabetes of long duration is the main factor. © 1969, British Medical Journal Publishing Group. All rights reserved.