Eye exams may warn doctors of undiagnosed diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Diabetes increases your risk for vision loss fourfold, and it's the leading cause of new cases of blindness in people ages 20–74. Retinopathy is a condition that affects the blood vessels in the retina. However, because of delayed diagnosis, about 10 –20 percent of people with type 2 diabetes already have some degree of eye disease when their diabetes is diagnosed.

If ophthalmologists notice that a patient is exhibiting symptoms of retinopathy, they should recommend additional testing.

After 20 years nearly all people with type 1 diabetes and 60% of those with type 2 diabetes have developed retinopathy. To cut back on the chances of developing retinopathy, people with type 1 diabetes should have an annual eye exam by an ophthalmologist beginning five years after diagnosis. Those with type 2 diabetes should see an eye specialist yearly when they learn they have diabetes.

Retinopathy is commonly treated with laser therapy, which is relatively painless and can be done in a doctor's office.

Still, it's incredibly important for diabetics to monitor their eye health. To make sure that your eyes are as healthy as possible, you must monitor your blood sugar levels tightly. People who keep their blood sugar at near-normal levels cut their risk of developing eye diseases by 75%. Retinopathy was also less likely to progress among those who had tight control over their diabetes.

Check out AOL Health for more information on diabetes management.

Scientists from all over the world will meet up in Seattle October 22-23 to attend the Warren G. Magnuson Congress for a Global Diabetes Alliance. The initiative is intended to help fight the rapid rise of type 2 diabetes worldwide. International Diabetes Federation past president Pierre Lefebvre, who will be a speaker at the conference, says the need for such an alliance to fight the T2 global epidemic "could not be more urgent."

More than one hundred diabetes experts hailing from over twenty countries will attend the congress. There's one main goal: the discussion of how to help under-served populations, such as indigenous peoples. However, the more general problems - prevention, treatment and the possibility of a cure - will also be on the table. It is also hoped that the alliance can help change public perception of type 2 diabetes as a disease associated with affluence, when in fact it is spreading faster in poor, developing countries where people frequently lack access to medical care.

Organizers say this is the first global alliance on diabetes. Speaking of organizers: who's behind this anyway? Well, it's being convened by the Pacific Northwest Research Institute (PNRI). Incoming president of the American Diabetes Association, Dr. Paul Robertson, is president and scientific director of the PNRI. Warren G. Magnuson, for whom the conference is named, was a US senator and supporter of the sciences who died from diabetes complications in 1989.

The ADA and PNRI's Dr. Robertson is optimistic the organization can effect change: "The response from top experts from around the world to develop a global, multidisciplinary, collaborative endeavor focused on clinical research on diabetes has been overwhelming."

Great strides have been made in the field of cardiology in recent years. However, according to a new study just out, people with diabetes remain dangerously at risk for heart-related problems like angina and heart attack. The results of the study have been published In the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (August 2007).

It's quite disturbing to read the numbers on this. Example? For every hundred diabetics who experience severe heart attack, just over eight will die within thirty days. For non-diabetics, that number goes down to around five. I could go on, but you get the picture.

The solution? Says the author of the study, Dr. Elliott M. Antman: "We need aggressive strategies to manage the diabetic population. What we need to do is everything to halt the epidemic of diabetes and find through research what therapies are most helpful for diabetic patients. We've got to do better for those patients." Hear, hear.

But what should those "aggressive strategies" be? And how do you implement them? That's the sticking point. The Washington Post caught the American Diabetes Association's Larry Deeb in a moment of remarkable frankness, saying he really doesn't know what can be done to get cardiologists and endocrinologists working together on this. C'mon, Larry. That's not exactly encouraging news for all the people out there with diabetes!

As Bev observed in a post yesterday, California schools will now be required to ensure that diabetic kids get their medical needs met during school hours. Parents are relieved by the settlement, which was reached between the California Department of Education and two school districts (on one side) and four families with diabetic children, working in conjunction with the American Diabetes Association (ADA).

It's a thorny issue. If you require by law that kids be in school during specified hours, you'd better make darn sure you can meet their needs while they're there. As Michelle Ferry, mom of a seven-year-old boy with diabetes, observed "If I had a child in a wheelchair, they wouldn't expect me to come in and take them out of a wheelchair" as necessary throughout the school day. Michelle, you see, was required to drop everything and come running to the school when her son needed a shot because there was no one at the school willing/qualified/permitted to administer it.

While she has a point, you could also argue that helping a (developmentally normal) child in and out of a wheelchair doesn't require special training. Helping a child monitor and adjust his or her blood sugar level most certainly does. Understandably, school administrators were, and remain, concerned about legal liability. Teachers also have a right to be concerned.

Most school cafeterias and vending programs feed our kids junk, but even worse, students with diabetes are not provided legally required care to manage the disease during school hours. Children with insulin dependent diabetes are heading to school without the assurance of regular blood glucose testing, the administration of insulin or other diabetes care tasks.

In 2005, four California families and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) filed a suit in San Francisco, alleging some California school districts were not providing adequate diabetes care. In some cases, parents were called to give aid before summoning a school nurse. Michelle Ferry was one such parent. When her son was in first grade, this widowed mother of four had to hire a babysitter so she could head to school to give her son an insulin shot. Risky business for her son, let alone expensive for the Ferry family. What if she could not secure a babysitter and her son ran high blood sugars? This is outrageous and unacceptable. This is just one example, many schools across the country are not adequately serving students with diabetes.

The lawsuit has been settled, and per the agreement, the California Department of Education will now require districts to ensure all children with diabetes have access to proper diabetes care during the school day. What took so long? Students with type 1 diabetes have been in public schools for years! Now a volunter school employee can be trained to assist a student with diabetes. San Ramon Valley school district claimed they wanted this ability, but they were following state regulations that care be provided by a health practitioner. State law outlines seven different categories of caregivers -- which includes a self-administering student, a school nurse or other health professional and family/friends. Now the agreement states if a licensed health professional is unavailable, a trained, unlicensed school employee may provide insulin shots per individual physician order. Hallelujah -- may California trigger a domino effect nationwide.

A woman wrote in to The Diabetes Blog about an unusual call she received from an American Diabetes Association telemarketer. Her reflection on the phone call was not a traditional feel good response. Has anybody else received a phone call like this one?

The comment came in under the title: Why do people apologize? The woman explains the nature of the call: A telemarketer called us Saturday. The man thanked us for our support to the ADA and asked if they could send us stuff we could pass on to our friends and family and if they gave us any money to pass it back to the ADA. I said that would be fine. He went on and on about how big of a problem diabetes is. He asked if I knew anyone with diabetes. I said I do. We sat in silence for the next 10 seconds and then the man said "I am so sorry" I said don't be, its fine. I don't mind. He started rambling on about something and sounded very uncomfortable. I said thank you and hung up. Why do people apologize? It's not their fault. I'm not dying or in pain or anything like that. I take medicine when I eat, done, end of story. It's so uncomfortable and coming from someone representing the ADA, just unprofessional.

It's a fair question: why would a telemarketer apologize? Perhaps the telemarketer should have thanked you for your time and gone on with his calls. He must've been writing a book! That's it - he's writing a book on the people who are continuing to contribute to the ADA mission to prevent and cure diabetes. Savvy telemarketers with interpersonal skills are hard to come by. We know one thing: the ADA isn't wasting any money on training their telemarketers. Nobody said telemarketing was an easy job but I guess the preventing and curing diabetes is the mission: impossible.

Ever wonder what would happen to a non-diabetic's blood sugar if they loaded up on a pile of concentrated sugar, preservatives and weird science fats? Doctors and the ADA call it prediabetes. This clip takes it to the extreme by sandwiching the center of 16 double stuff Oreos! Sometimes you have to be insanely blunt to make your point.

This is a brilliant example of the diabetes epidemic in action. In today's world -- many people are eating for convenience without realizing the consequences. More convenient equates to less nutritious - more preservatives, more sugar and even more fattening (the wrong fats, too!) The combination increases the amount of time our digestive enzymes need to work on these lab-derived ingredients. This sustains an elevated blood sugar following the time of consumption. Add the ADA definition of pre-diabetes (a blood sugar between 140 to 199 mg/dl 2 hours after a meal) and there you have it -- a potential player on Team Diabetes!

Think what would happen if this guy was in his doctor's office 2 hours after this stunt. I'd like to thank his employer for keeping him busy (whatever he's paid to do) well after the lunch hour - and protecting him from becoming another statistic. Big ups to HR for hiring this guy!! If he's not in marketing already -- you might consider a transfer and give this guy a raise. He's my Oreo hero.

The New York City diabetes database, created to track the growth of (type 2) diabetes amongst the city's residents, has raised the ire of some who claim it violates their right to privacy. A reporter for the Staten Island Advance quotes resident Melissa: "Every time I go to have my blood sugar checked, my test results are being wired to the (city) Health Department. The idea of your privacy being taken away from you goes across all bounds." Melissa also says she doesn't think the city has justification to track patient records for something like diabetes, which is not contagious like, for example, tuberculosis.

My first instinct on reading this: cry me a river, Melissa. Residents should be aware their blood sugar levels are being sent to the health department, and they should be aware of why it is being done. But, really, isn't it a tad paranoid to worry too much about privacy? I mean, why should anyone care about your blood sugar levels out of all the thousands of others out there? If this is a way to gauge how type 2 diabetes is spreading in the NYC area, and if this data can help (as the city claims) determine how best to spend public money on containing the problem, I say go for it.

On the other hand, protecting peoples' privacy should be a factor for consideration, says Dr. Peter Sheehan, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and board member of the American Diabetes Association. "We applaud this kind of work," says Dr. Sheehan, but "we're somewhat concerned about the privacy of the individual." This concern is shared by the people entrusted with maintaining the database, says Dr. Diana K. Berger of the Health Department: "We are so careful to protect people's privacy," says Dr. Berger. She adds that only a handful of people have access to the room in which the data is stored, and data is encrypted as it makes its way from laboratories to the city.

All-in-all, it's a slightly unsettling case of weighing priorities: public good versus the right to privacy.

Hmm, another "walking for diabetes" fundraiser in the news. But, what's this? Here's a guy walking with a giant inflatable rubber globe. Novel, huh? Check out the picture at right.

Erik Bendl, aka "World Guy," is walking 416 miles from his home in Louisville, Kentucky, all the way to Pittsburgh. The plan is to raise money for the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Just as important, Bendl hopes to raise awareness about the condition. Every step of the way, Bendl is rolling his eight-foot-tall globe too. Bendl got the globe from a summer camp, whose staff had no use for it.

Bendl is the son of the late Kentucky state Rep. Gerta Bendl, who suffered from diabetes. Bendl was inspired to do something not only because of his mom's experience, but also by watching lots of other friends deal with the condition. He's encountering lots of good support along the way in the form of conversation, kind words, and meals. "I'm almost brought to tears by people's kindness," he told the Cincinnati Post.

Bendl and the rubber globe are accompanied by Bendl's faithful dog, Nice, who is probably thinking "this is the longest walk pops has ever taken me on!"

Click here to visit Erik Bendl's MySpace blog. He also has a website where supporters are invited to send in a donation for the ADA. Want to talk to the man himself? Go ahead and give him a buzz at (502) 408-5772.

Endocrinologist William Petit Jr. and his family were the victims of an utterly shocking crime on Monday. Two men entered the family home in Cheshire, Connecticut, assaulted the family and forced a woman, probably Petit's wife, to drive to an ATM and withdraw money. The burglars later set fire to the house and fled, leaving the family still inside. Dr. Petit survived the ordeal. His wife and two daughters were killed.

Dr. Petit (50) is a prominent diabetes researcher. He is medical director at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain. The hospital is a Joslin Diabetes Center Affiliate institution. Dr. Petit is also president of the Hartford County Medical Association. He was elected to the American Diabetes Association's Hall of Merit in 1994.

The two men suspected of committing this terrible act were arrested as they left the scene, and they were arraigned Tuesday. Both men have extensive criminal records. The attack has sent the small community of Cheshire (just north of New Haven) reeling. Read more in this report from Forbes. Even those opposed to the death penalty may wish that an exception be made for these two. They have committed a crime that can only be described as monstrous.

King County, Washington - following in the footsteps of New York - has banned restaurants from cooking foods in trans fats. King County is home to Seattle, the city famous for its generous rainfall and equally generous caffeine intake. The new rule stipulates that, in addition to the trans fats ban, all eateries in the Seattle-area must also provide nutritional information about menu items.

The trans fats ban was passed by the King County Board of Health in an effort to stem soaring rates of illnesses that are linked to obesity, like type 2 diabetes. Board members and their supporters (including a representative from the American Diabetes Association) argue the change will help turn the tide by improving eating habits. Their opponents, however, have vigorously argued that this is not true. Restaurant patrons already know they're choosing unhealthy foods, they argue, and this new law won't prevent them from ordering fatty and sugar-laden foods. "I have a six-letter word to describe them [the board members and their supporters]," says restaurant-owner Chris Clifford. "It's 'stupid.' You can't help stupid people." Ouch. Well, this is a case where only time can prove him right or wrong. Click here to read more on the new measures.

Former head of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), was executed for taking bribes in return for approving the use of certain medicines. No, you didn't miss anything. The SFDA to which the news story refers is in China. At ease, boys- you're all safe (for now).

Mike Adams of NewsTarget explains in his cartoon that the FDA is a clear and present danger to the health and safety of the American people. The agency is so deeply entangled in protecting drug company profits and corporate interests that it has utterly abandoned its mission of protecting the people. In fact, bribery is routine in the United States drug approval process. A policy exists that allows FDA decision panel experts -- the people who decide which drugs to approve or reject -- to accept up to $50,000 in bribes from drug companies and still serve on such decision panels.

What's really interesting about the press coverage of China's execution is that virtually no one has bothered to call for arresting and prosecuting corrupt FDA officials in the United States. We inherently trust everything we are told by our doctors and our elected officials - we chose them in the first place. It is not until we are awakened to someone else's problem, and realize that it is ours. The U.S. FDA is trustworthy, right? Our people would never stoop to accepting bribes - especially not the president elect for the American Diabetes Association, right?

A new study has shown that taking selenium supplements elevates the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Around twelve hundred participants were involved in the study. Some took 200 micrograms of selenium daily, while others got a placebo. After nearly eight years had gone by, the researchers found that those taking the selenium were at an increased risk of nearly fifty percent for Type 2 diabetes.The finding raises the question: does supplementation of the diet with bottled vitamin pills or fortified food products do as much, or possibly even more, harm than good? The Washington Post contains quotes from both Larry Deeb of the American Diabetes Association and Eliseo Guallar of Johns Hopkins University expressing concern at Americans' propensity for vitamin pill-popping.

Oddly, the reason that selenium supplementation was undergoing examination in the first place was because medical experts believed it might in fact be beneficial in diabetes prevention. The theory was that the antioxidant properties in selenium which aid metabolism could aid in blood sugar control for people at risk for Type 2 diabetes. These antioxidant properties have been found to be beneficial in the treatment of other conditions ranging from cold sores to arthritis and multiple sclerosis. Some also believe selenium can slow the aging process and even aid in cancer prevention. Given this history as a health-boosting wonder-substance, the result of this particular study came as a surprise.

The findings have just been published in the online edition of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. You can also read more in the Washington Post's website or visit Reuters online. The pic at right shows selenium in its nuggety form, as you might find it in a high school chemistry lab or similar.

"1 day, 1 cause, 1 goal," is the slogan assigned to the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) new fundraiser: "Step Out to Fight Diabetes." The big annual event is basically a retooled version of what the ADA used to call "America's Walk for Diabetes." The plan is to hold walks in two hundred American cities on various days over the course of a couple of weeks this coming fall.

So what's involved, you ask? It's a ten-mile walking course designed to be easy enough for about any fitness level. The twist: it requires some stair climbing. Philadelphia participants will climb ten staircases in landmark buildings, such as Philly's City Hall and the majestic front steps of the Philly Museum of Art (immortalized in the movie Rocky). Trotting up and downstairs, you're supposed to contemplate and be inspired by the "peaks and valleys" encountered by diabetics the world over.

The ADA has launched a very professional campaign to publicize "Step Out" with press releases and a snazzy website. You can register to participate on the website, and they'll send you a cute registration pack. You can also check out health stats, facts about the staircases involved in the event, and read true life diabetes stories on the site. By joining in, the ADA says you will be helping "find a cure" and also help raise awareness in your own community. To the former: maybe. To the latter: sure - awareness-raising is always a good thing.

Funding in support of the "Step Out" campaign comes courtesy of big-name, big-business donors like Kmart (Pharmacy), RiteAid, Wal-mart/Sam's Club, and Equal.

Change appears to be coming for diabetes care. The HbA1c test may not be the safest approach for diabetics to follow in preventing complications. Instead, experts are saying the average blood glucose level per individual will add clarity to diabetic patients looking to manage their disease.

A study supporting the change showed a close correlation between average glucose and HbA1c levels. So the myth, busted is: maintaining an average blood sugar is a safer approach for diabetes management -- NOT CHASING A UNIFORM HbA1c value. The fluctuation in blood sugar is what causes complications in the small vessels of the eyes, kidneys and peripheral nerve endings. For example - sustaining a blood sugar of 200 mg/dL is a lot safer than waking at 240 and ushering a boatload of sugar into your cells to drop your sugar to 80 mg/dL. It is the transfer of glucose into the cell that causes the injury to cell membranes and resulting complications.

Think of it like the movement of the ocean. High tide to low tide happens gradually, over the course of many hours throughout the day. When a storm hits - the waves become turbulent, crashing against the shore causing erosion. Is the human body any different? I'm not a doctor -- but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last week.