THE OPHTHALMIC JOURNAL
National Diabetes Awareness Week runs from 13–19 July.
Diabetes is a growing concern in Australia, with its prevalence slowly rising. Like the ripples in a pond, it impacts the individual, their family, the community, and economy.
In type 1 diabetes, symptoms are often sudden and can be life threatening, making it easy and fast to diagnose.
In type 2 diabetes – which is increasing at the fastest rate – symptoms often go unnoticed and can be assumed to be part of the ageing process.
Gestational diabetes, which affects about one in seven women during pregnancy, usually goes away after the baby is born but increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.
Diabetes complications include sight-threatening disease, and yet many people with diabetes neglect regular eye screenings due to lack of awareness or prioritising other medical needs.
In this issue we turn our attention to diabetes-related eye disease to ensure you are armed with the latest information in the lead up to National Diabetes Awareness Week.
We tell the story of Amber Mauigoa, a young woman who is now living well with diabetes having initially struggled with treatment options that resulted in her becoming critically ill with diabetic ketoacidosis.
Dr Brighu Swamy and Dr Dov Hersh write our CPD-accredited ophthalmology article on the shifting paradigms in treatment for diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. Orthoptist and certified nutritionist Peggy Moynihan writes an article on the emerging evidence behind the role of nutrition to preserve vision. Optometrist Dr Amira Howari writes a CPD article about the intricate relationship between diabetes mellitus and the increased prevalence and severity of dry eye disease. And in a further CPD article, ophthalmologist Dr Christolyn Raj writes about how learnings from her recent research – a prospective multicentre clinical trial looking at visual outcomes in diabetic patients following cataract surgery – can be applied in clinics. Dr Raj presented her findings at the European Society of Ophthalmology conference last month.
Elsewhere we have a CPD article on presbyopia management with contact lenses and one on options for intraocular lenses – plenty to keep you occupied and learning through the cooler months of the year.
Enjoy!
MELANIE KELL EDITOR
In the spirit of reconciliation, mivision acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today. As a bi-national publication, we acknowledge Māori as tangata whenua and Treaty of Waitangi partners in Aotearoa New Zealand.
contributors
OPHTHALMOLOGISTS
Dr Christolyn Raj is a Melbourne-based ophthalmologist with sub-speciality interests in cataract/refractive surgery and retinal disease. In this issue she writes about her recent research, a prospective multicentre clinical trial looking at visual outcomes in diabetic patients following cataract surgery.
Dr Dov Hersh
Associate Professor Rob Paul
Dr Brighu Swamy
Dr Anton van Heerden
OPTOMETRISTS
Dr Debarun Dutta is a senior lecturer and lead for contact lens education at the School of Optometry at Aston University, UK. An academic chair and trustee of the British Contact Lens Association (BCLA), he is a co-editor of the BCLA CLEAR Presbyopia series of articles being published in mivision.
Dr Melissa Barnett
Dr Isaac Curkpatrick
Veronica Giang
Dr Amira Howari
Alan Saks
PROFESSION INFLUENCERS
Peggie Moynihan has worked as an orthoptist in the public and private sectors in Ireland and Australia. With a background in clinical eye care and evidence-based nutrition, she writes for mivision about the impact nutrition has on eye health.
James Gibbins
Kasia Groves
Paul Sallaway
Tonya Stock