Results of 20 years of research on the treatment of diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in young adults, ages 20-55. Without treatment 50% of those with proliferative diabetic retinopathy will be blind within 5 years. Over the last 2 decades the National Eye Institute has supported four different multicenter randomized clinical trials for diabetic retinopathy. Implementation of the results from these clinical trials can markedly reduce the risk of blindness.