NOVEMBER IS diabetes awareness month, Diabetic Retinopathy is the leading cause of preventable blind

PR Log (Press Release) – Nov 02, 2009 – MIAMI, Florida. Engineer Russel Savage has been living with diabetes since he was 59 years old, yet it wasn’t until he almost lost sight in his left eye and was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, that he regretted not having undergone routine eye exams.

November has been designated Diabetes Awareness Month in the United States as a means to increase public awareness of a chronic disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood and which, according to the American Diabetes Association, is the leading cause of blindness among people 20 to 74 years of age in the U.S.

Savage has joined Ophthalmologist Dr. Salomon Melgen this month to help increase the public’s awareness of the serious effects of diabetes on the eyes.

“Many diabetics are unaware of the correlation between their disease and their vision problems, and half of them do not undergo routine eye exams with an ophthalmologist who could help them prevent eyesight problems in time,” affirmed Dr. Melgen.

According to the American Diabetes Association, each year between 12,000 and 24,000 new cases of diabetic retinopathy are diagnosed, which results in the damage of the small blood vessels of the retina due to diabetes, thus becoming the leading cause of blindness.

“From here stems the importance of creating greater awareness of this symptomless disease, in which prevention plays an important and vital role, and for which there are successful treatments that can bring people out of the dark,” added the specialist.

Thanks to Dr. Melgen’s innovative treatment comprised of injections and laser therapy, Savage regained vision in his left eye (20-30), substantially improving his quality of life.

A Visionary

Renowned ophthalmologist, specialized in vitreo retinal diseases and with an established practice in South Florida, Dr. Melgen is certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and is the Founding Director of the Melgen Retina Eye Center, a center specializing in disease and surgery of the vitreous and retina.

The Center was founded in 1988 in South Florida. From its inception, the Center became affiliated with Harvard Medical School’s Schepens Eye Research Institute (the largest independent eye research institute in the nation); and Dr. Melgen was the first ophthalmologist in Florida to use the Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (SLO), which helped enormously in the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy.

Dr. Melgen has been recognized for his innovative medical advances, having become in 1986 the first surgeon in Florida to perform outpatient retina surgery, quickly establishing him as a visionary.

If you would like to interview Dr. Melgen and/or Russel Savage, or would like additional information, please contact:


Anjuli Lovaton
EDF Communications
Cell (786) 370-5937
anjuli@edfpr.com