Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that affects the blood vessels of the retina.
In a more severe type of retinopathy called proliferative retinopathy, new fragile blood vessels grow and often bleed. This bleeding causes scarring and may lead to blindness. Nationwide, only half of all patients with diabetes meet clinical guidelines for annual retina examinations. Feinberg and his colleague, V. R. LaRocca, MD, MPH, a research associate at BUSM, found that similar to national levels, about 67 percent of diabetic patients at BMC obtain annual retina examinations. Our goal is to achieve retinal examinations rates of over 90 percent for diabetic patients under the care of our primary care doctors.