India with the highest number of diabetics in the world also faces the challenge to deal with visual loss due to the 'lifestyle disease', as awareness about retinal diseases remains low.

The blind population of India is estimated to swell to a staggering 15 million by 2020, a study has said. "Of the various retinal disorders, age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME) are two progressive diseases that causes loss of vision,"Dr Siddhartha Ghosh, ophthalmologist and eye surgeon and head of the department of GD Hospital and Diabetes Institute, Kolkata said at apress conference organised recently here.

While AMD constitutes 8.7 per cent of blindness in the world, DME affects 4.8 per cent of the population. "However, vision loss due to DME and AMD could be controlled if diagnosed on time," he said. "Retina is that part of the eye where the final vision is formed. If the retina is damaged, the vision is automatically affected. Retinal diseases like age related macular digeneration and diabetic macular edema are progressive diseases and can lead to irreversible vision loss," Dr Ghosh informed.

Doctor Ghosh said, though AMD is the common cause of irreversible vision loss among the elderly people, it's awareness remains very low. He said, AMD causes gradual deterioration of the macula ( part of retina responsible for central vision) and affects 8.7 per cent of the world population. "But, the major concern remains DME because of which diabetics have 25 times more risk of losing vision comparing to the rest of the population," he said.

Doctor Ghosh said patients suffering from blurred or fuzzy or distorted vision, impaired colour vision, decreased contrast or colour sensitivity should see an opthalmologist immediately. He further said, dark spots in vision, wavy or crooked straight lines and difficulty in seeing things at a distance should also be reported to the specialists. The symptoms of retinal diseases may vary on the type of retina disorder. Experiencing these symptoms does not mean that one is suffering from AMD or DME as the symptoms of retinal diseases are often the same.

The specialist said that everyone from the age of 40 should go for eye check up every six months. He said that regular monitoring will enable diagnosis of AMD and DME possible and help in preventing vision loss. While patients with diabetes can get affected with DME at any age, AMD is likely to cause vision loss after the age of 60.