Optometric management of the diabetic patient: Part I--The diagnosis and classification of diabetes.

Diabetes is a multifaceted, poorly understood disease and affects approximately 3% of the United States population. Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death and is the leading cause of blindness in adults. The metabolic pathway which leads to the complications of diabetes is probably the polyol pathway. Diabetes often is a very difficult diagnosis to make and is made based on findings from the history, physical examination, and laboratory data. Routine baseline laboratory testing should be obtained in all new diabetics because of the complications of diabetes. The new classification of diabetes is type 1 and type 2 as opposed to the old classification of juvenile and adult onset. The optometrist should be intimately involved in managing the diabetic patient.