Health officials say that one in five of the adult population in Sri Lanka is facing diabetes.
At a press conference held at the Health Promotion Bureau, Dr. Kapila Banduthilaka, a specialist at the National Eye Hospital of Sri Lanka, revealed that one-third of the adult population with diabetes also suffers from eye diseases.
“According to the latest data, we are currently seeing a 73% increase in general diabetes patients. It has been identified that 1/9 of the adult population in the world has diabetes. If we look at the prevalence of diabetes in Sri Lanka, it can be said that between 23% and 30% of adults have diabetes. That means one in five adults has diabetes.
1/3 of that group has eye disease. 11% of that group will go blind if left untreated. Diabetes particularly affects the eyes. Therefore, our working people are particularly affected. On average, they lose 923 million in income per year. If you go to the eye hospital now, the majority are not old people. Most are between the ages of 40 and 50.
We can prevent this disease. There is no reason for these people to go blind. In the early stages, it can be stopped with things like control and changing the diet. Let’s say we couldn’t stop it, but if it comes in the early stages of this disease, we have treatment options.” said Dr. Kapila Banduthilaka.