"Understand the Disease and Its Treatment" series
Preface by Andrée Boucher, M.D.
Approximately 2.4 million Canadians suffer from diabetes and are likely to develop diabetic retinopathy. This disease of the retina caused by diabetes affects 99 percent of people with type 1 diabetes and 60 percent of those with type 2 diabetes in the first 20 years after the onset of diabetes. The World Health Organization (WHO) anticipates an alarming increase in the number of people with diabetic retinopathy in the not-so-distant future, as the worldwide diabetic population is expected to double by 2030—to more than 360 million people. Early detection has thus become a major issue in the fight against diabetic retinopathy, especially since very effective treatments are available that can not only slow progression of the disease but also even restore lost vision in many cases.
Written in simple and clear language, by doctors, this book can help in understanding the signs and symptoms of diabetic retinopathy. It looks at the main risk factors and prevention measures for diabetic retinopathy and explains in detail how the disease is diagnosed, what treatments are available and how one can live well with the disease on a day-to-day basis. It also briefly describes recent developments in research that are opening the way for new therapeutic approaches.

Jean Daniel Arbour's profile page

Pierre Labelle's profile page

Dr. Jean Daniel Arbour heads the ophthalmology department of the faculty of medicine at the University of Montreal, where he is also associate professor.
After receiving his M.D. from the University of Montreal, Dr. Arbour interned in general surgery, specialized in ophthalmology and then went to Harvard University in the United States for medical and surgical retina training. At Harvard, Dr. Arbour also conducted research on macular degeneration and photodynamic and antiangiogenic therapy.
Dr. Arbour is currently vitreoretinal surgeon at Notre-Dame Hospital, which is part of the University of Montreal hospital centre (CHUM). He is also the founder of the hospital's ophthalmology research centre, where he has been the principal investigator in genetic studies of wet AMD and numerous international studies of new treatments in macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. The author of many articles published in medical journals, Dr. Arbour has also given more than 70 national and international scientific conferences on retinal disease.
Dr. Arbour was president of the Quebec association of ophthalmologists from 2005 to 2009. He is currently treasurer of the Canadian Ophthalmological Society.
Dr. Pierre Labelle is an ophthalmologist at Maisonneuve- Rosemont Hospital and full clinical professor in the department of ophthalmology of the faculty of medicine at the University of Montreal.
After receiving his M.D. and his diploma in ophthalmology, Dr. Labelle completed a research fellowship in retinal diseases and surgery at Washington University in St. Louis in the United States. He earned the first medal awarded by the Canadian Ophthalmological Society for his work on the prevention of sports-related eye injuries and was awarded the Securitas prize by the Régie de la sécurité dans les sports du Québec, Quebec's sports safety board, for his public awareness work.
Dr. Labelle is president of the Association des médecins ophtalmologistes du Québec, Quebec's association of ophthalmologists, and heads the ophthalmology departments of Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital and the faculty of medicine of the University of Montreal. Under his direction, the Centre Michel-Mathieu was established at Maisonneuve- Rosemont Hospital in 1999, an internationally renowned institute of excellence in ophthalmology. Given his interest in clinical research, Dr. Labelle has collaborated on many research projects, including projects investigating macular degeneration.