Increased risk of retinopathy in children with Type 2 Diabetes

A study recently published in JAMA Opthalmology reveals that children with Type 2 diabetes are at greater risk of developing retinopathy when compared to children with Type 1 diabetes.

The number of children diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes has continued to increase over the years. Researchers sought to determine the risk of developing diabetes-associated eye complications among a population-based cohort of children with either a Type 1 or Type 2 diagnosis during a 50-year period in a retrospective study.

Researchers examined the records of all of the residents in Olmsted County, Minnesota who were diagnosed with diabetes at at an age younger than 22 and the review was between the years of January 1, 1970 through December 31, 2019. 

Researchers found that children with Type 2 diabetes had almost twice the risk of developing retinopathy when compared to their counterparts with Type 1 diabetes. The findings reveal that more frequent ophthalmologic evaluations are needed for patients with Type 2 diabetes.