Secular trends in the prevalence, incidence, and progression of diabetic retinopathy: the Hisayama Study

Purpose To examine the secular trends in the prevalence, incidence, and progression rates of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a Japanese community. Methods Community-dwelling Japanese residents aged ≥ 40 years with diabetes participated in comprehensive systemic and ophthalmological surveys, including an examination for DR, in 1998 ( n = 220), 2007 ( n = 511), 2012 ( n = 515), and 2017 ( n = 560). DR was assessed using colour fundus photographs after pupil dilation according to the modified Airlie House classification system. To compare the frequencies of newly developed or progressed DR between the studied decades, two eye cohorts were established (the 2000s cohort included 145 participants examined in 1998 and 2007; the 2010s cohort included 255 participants examined in 2007, 2012, and 2017). Trends in the prevalence, incidence, and progression rate of DR were tested by logistic regression analysis with a generalised estimating equation. Results The age-adjusted prevalence of DR among individuals with diabetes decreased significantly with time from 1998 to 2017 (27.4% in 1998, 22.8% in 2007, 12.8% in 2012, and 6.4% in 2017; p for trend < 0.001). During this period, the prevalence of DR was decreasing in every haemoglobin A 1c category, but it remained constant in the high systolic blood pressure category. In addition, the rates of new-onset of DR were significantly lower in the 2010s compared to the 2000s ( p < 0.001). Conclusion Our findings suggest that the prevalence and incidence of DR among diabetic people significantly decreased with time over the past two decades in a general Japanese population.