A diabetes retinopathy screening programme in Wales has helped nearly halve the number of people diagnosed as blind or living with sight loss due to the condition.
The screening programme was introduced in 2003, and researchers at the Diabetic Research Unit at Swansea University analysed new certifications for sight loss, and blindness in Wales due to diabetic eye disease between 2007 and 2015.
They found 22 fewer people with sight loss due specifically to their diabetes, and a 49% fall in new certifications for severe sight impairment, from 31.3 to 15.8 per 100,000 people.
During their observation period, 40% more people were diagnosed with diabetes in Wales.
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