The Diabetes & the Eyes Educational Toolkit offers educational materials on diabetes and the impact of diabetes on eye health
Materials are available in both English and Spanish. These educational resources are intended for healthcare professionals, community health educators, diabetes educators, and anyone in a caregiving or diabetes education role.
Diabetes & the Eyes Educator Course
The course equips health educators with important patient education messages about diabetes-related eye disease and strategies for maintaining healthy vision. It provides education about diabetes-related retinopathy, glaucoma, and cataract, methods for preventing vision loss and promoting vision preservation. Designed to educate individuals living with diabetes as well as populations at highest risk for developing diabetes, the course includes a PowerPoint presentation, a script, pre-post test, and course evaluation form.
Complete the form to access the FREE course. Once you have submitted the request form, you will receive download links to the course files.
Request the Diabetes and the Eyes Educational Toolkit
Diabetes & Your Eyes Factsheets
These downloadable and printable factsheets provide general information on diabetes and vision health; symptoms & risk; diagnosis, treatment & prevention; and mental health designed to educate patients and the public.
English Fact Sheets
Diabetes & Your Eyes – General Information
Diabetes & Your Eyes – Diabetes-related Retinopathy – Symptoms + Risks
Diabetes & Your Eyes – Diabetes-related Retinopathy – Diagnosis, Treatment, & Prevention
Diabetes & Your Eyes – Diabetes-related Eye Disease and Mental Health
Diabetes & Your Eyes – Juvenile Diabetes and Vision Health: Help Prevent Vision Loss in Youth
Spanish Fact Sheets
La Diabetes y Sus Ojos – Enfermedades oculares y salud mental relacionadas con la diabetes
La Diabetes y Sus Ojos – Retinopatía relacionada con la diabetes – Síntomas y riesgo
La Diabetes y Sus Ojos – Enfermedades oculares y salud mental relacionadas con la diabetes
Diabetes & Your Eyes Infographics
These images can be used in social media and media communications to educate patients and the public. When using these infographic, please post messages with #VisionandDiabetes in English infographics and #VisiónyDiabetes with Spanish infographics. Click the thumbnail images below to display the full-sized infographics. Right-click the full-sized infographics to download them for sharing on social media.
Patient Education Video: Diabetes, Vision Loss, and Mental Wellness
Patient advocates Serena Valentine, mental health expert Melissa Taussig, and diabetes specialist Lisa Golden share their experiences of vision impairment and the tools they use to remain independent. Ms. Valentine and Ms. Golden are volunteer participants in the Prevent Blindness A.S.P.E.C.T. (Advocacy, Support, Perspective, Empowerment, Communication, and Training) Program, that equips participants with knowledge, skills, and confidence to be advocates for vision and eye health. Close-captioned in English and Spanish.
Webinar: Diabetes and Your Eyes – A Conversation Around Patient-Centered Care
Are you living with diabetes and wondered how your health care providers work together to maintain your eyesight? Prevent Blindness hosted this webinar which explains how health care providers coordinate care for persons with diabetes, talk with each other, and consider your needs as a patient. You will hear from a person living with diabetes who has diabetes-related eye disease, along with leading doctors from throughout the U.S. who care for individuals with diabetes.
Learn about the journey of Serena Valentine, an individual living with diabetes-related eye disease, as she shares the feelings she encountered during her vision loss, how primary care providers can support these individuals, and resources which can improve quality of life.
Diabetes Resources at Prevent Blindness
These resources are designed to support individuals living with diabetes and help them gain access to eye care that they require to maintain healthy vision. The resources describe common barriers to eye care, ways to navigate the healthcare system, the intricacies of health insurance and eye care, and an overview of eye care assistance resources.
Additional Resources
Vision Integration Library: Vision & Eye Health Resource Center
The Vision Integration Library: Vision & Eye Health Resource Center at Prevent Blindness is a compilation of current resources that can be used by public health, healthcare, and community service providers. It is our goal that these resources enhance or integrate vision and eye health initiatives in public health programming through their use.
“The Seeing the Way to Better Health” issue briefs series and corresponding infographics target three areas of health where vision and eye health can be incorporated into new and existing health programs – brain health, diabetes, and women’s health. The issue briefs were created to support state, local, and community programs with the integration of vision and eye health strategies into their programming.
Focus on Eye Health Expert Series: Diabetes and Your Eyes
Prevent Blindness President and CEO Jeff Todd discusses diabetes-related eye disease with Neil M. Bressler, MD, professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and Editor in Chief of JAMA Ophthalmology.
Living Well with Low Vision is an online resource to educate those with loss of vision on how maintain their independence and quality of life.
ASPECT Patient Engagement Program
The ASPECT (Advocacy, Support, Perspective, Empowerment, Communication, and Training) is a patient empowerment program at Prevent Blindness. The goal of the ASPECT Program is to empower individuals to be engaged in their eye health from every direction and in every way.
The Prevent Blindness Diabetes and the Eyes Educational Toolkit is supported by funding from Regeneron and VSP. Prevent Blindness maintains editorial control and independence over educational content.
Created April 28th, 2020
Updated March 22, 2022
