Risk of Eye Problems for Mothers with Diabetes during Pregnancy:- A team of international researchers conducted a study that revealed that the mothers suffering from diabetes before or during pregnancy are expected to have children suffering from various eye-related problems. All these findings were published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]). Dr. Jiangbo Du, State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China, and Dr. Jiong Li, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark along with their colleagues conducted this research. There is a high risk of refractive error (RE) told the study. RE happens to be one of the most common forms of visual impairment and it includes short, long-sightedness.

These conditions are the second common form of disability globally. The low degree of REs can be rectified or corrected through contact lenses or spectacles. The high-level REs can be severe and irreversible. There is a huge increase in the cases of RE in the recent decades. The study also indicates that the non-genetic factors too will play an important role in the development. Sitting before computers for longer hours and lack of outdoor activity can lead to low and moderate RE. The causes for the high RE defects are not understood completely for now. Maternal hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) during pregnancy can also lead to the damaged retina and optic nerve in the baby. The team conducted a research using several Danish national medical registers between 1977 and 2016.

The mothers with diabetes are advised for early screening for eye disorders in their children for maintaining good eyesight in the future.