Foreword

Diabetes mellitus is certainly one of the most important public health problems of the 21^st century. Its protean impacts on the eye are well known to all ophthalmologists, who deal with diabetic ocular complications virtually every day. Diabetic eye disease still accounts for much preventable blindness in working age adults, despite the many advances in understanding of pathophysiology and treatment over the last three decades. It is therefore a great pleasure for me to write a foreword to this comprehensive textbook on diabetes and the eye, edited by my colleagues, Douglas R. Lazzaro, and Samy I. McFarlane. Of interest to a wide audience, this book will enhance education of trainees in ophthalmology, and will serve as a definitive resource for practicing ophthalmologists and other physicians who manage diabetes for years to come. This text not only sheds light on the current state of our understanding of ocular manifestations of diabetes, but also looks towards the future when a better understanding of the risk factors for diabetic eye disease and improved treatments will reduce the burden of this disease on our society, truly a noble goal. Happy reading!