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Contact:  
Nicole Brown     
Lions Clubs International Foundation    
630-571-5466, ext. 386   

For Immediate Release

U.S. Adults with Diabetes Fear Blindness or Vision Loss More Than Premature Death: Many Respondents in International Diabetes Survey Worried About Quality of Life

OAK BROOK, ILLINOIS, USA and CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA -- DECEMBER 6, 2006 – More U.S. adults with diabetes fear vision loss or blindness than fear dying prematurely according to results from the U.S. portion of a seven-country survey presented today at the International Diabetes Foundation’s 19th World Diabetes Congress in Cape Town, South Africa. Many diabetes patients  feel they have been or would be affected by emotional challenges due to vision loss or blindness as a result of diabetes.

Forty-one percent of U.S. adults with diabetes cited vision loss – including significant problems not correctible with glasses or contact lenses, or blindness – as what they feared the most; and only 16 percent of U.S. respondents cited premature death as their greatest fear. 

Commissioned by Lions Clubs International and Eli Lilly and Company, the survey interviewed 250 U.S. adults with diabetes via telephone and was part of a larger global survey (n=1,458) on experiences and understanding of diabetes complications of people living with the disease. Lions Clubs International has partnered with Eli Lilly and Company to commission this international patient survey to show their dedication to preventing diabetic retinopathy, which can lead to loss of vision.

“Managing diabetes carefully is essential for the prevention of complications including vision loss and blindness,” said Jimmy Ross, International President, Lions Clubs International. “This survey highlights the potential significant physical and emotional impact of vision loss on people with diabetes and thus underscores the importance of annual dilated eye exams for people with the disease.”

Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults in the U.S. Many U.S. adults with diabetes who say they have not yet experienced vision loss or blindness  reported being worried about losing the ability to conduct certain daily life activities, such as driving (65 percent), reading (61 percent) and continuing hobbies or interests (43 percent), as a result of vision loss or blindness due to diabetes. Also, U.S. adults with diabetes feel they would face or have faced emotional issues due to blindness or vision loss, including feelings of frustration (44 percent), depression (34 percent) and loss of independence (34 percent).

Many medical studies have shown that diabetes has been linked to a variety of related complications. Nearly seven in 10 (69%) U.S. adults with diabetes were aware that vision loss or blindness are potential complications of diabetes. Sixty percent recognized kidney damage as a complication of diabetes, while less than half (49%) recognized stroke as a complication.

In addition to the U.S., surveys were administered to adults with diabetes in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and South Africa.  As in the U.S., the leading fear of people with diabetes in these countries was blindness or vision loss, followed by premature death. With regard to the emotional impact of vision loss due to diabetes, Americans with diabetes who have not yet experienced vision loss or blindness were less worried about losing their ability to continue with hobbies or interests than respondents from the other six countries, particularly South Africa (U.S. 43%, U.K. 74%, Spain 67%, Italy 69%, France 66%, Germany 70%, South Africa 89%).

Lions Respond
To help combat the growing incidence of diabetes, Lions and LCIF established The Lions Eye Health Program (LEHP). It is a public awareness program that empowers communities to save sight. LEHP raises awareness of the causes of preventable vision loss, encourages dilated eye exams for those at risk and educates those with low vision about the condition.

LEHP is the main SightFirst-funded initiative for industrialized nations. LEHP has been active in the United States, Japan, the British Isles and Ireland, Canada, Australia and Turkey. LEHP has been revamped and improved in the United States. The new LEHP for the United States includes a new CD-ROM format, a new logo and design, a new LEHP Web site and development of new print materials. Everyone interested in eye health can now participate in LEHP and help to increase eye health awareness.

About the Survey
Harris Interactive® fielded the telephone survey on behalf of the Lions Clubs International and Eli Lilly and Company between April 21 and May 30, 2006 among nationwide cross-sections of adults age 18+ with diabetes as follows in the following countries: United States (n=250), U.K. (n=200), Spain (n=204), Italy (n=202), France (n=201), Germany (n=201), and South Africa (n=200). The European data were weighted to be representative of the adult population with diabetes of each country on the basis of age, sex, and type of diabetes.  The U.S. data were weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population with diabetes on the basis of region, age within gender, education, household income, race/ethnicity and type of diabetes.  The South African data was not weighted and cannot be projected to the entire population of South African adults with diabetes.

In theory, with probability samples of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results for the French, Spanish, Italian, and German samples would have a sampling error of plus or minus 7 percentage points and sampling error for the U.S. and U.K. samples would be plus or minus 8 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples may be higher and may vary.  However, that does not take other sources of error into account. 

About Lions Clubs International
Lions Clubs International is the world's largest service club organization with 1.3 million members in nearly 45,000 clubs in 200 countries and geographic areas.  In addition to its efforts toward conquering blindness, the organization has made a strong commitment to community service and helping youth throughout the world. Lions Clubs International Foundation provides funding to assist Lions in carrying out humanitarian projects and has awarded nearly 8,000 grants totaling US$569 million. To learn more about Lions SightFirst initiatives, visit www.lcif.org.

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly, a leading innovation-driven corporation, is developing a growing portfolio of first-in-class and best-in-class pharmaceutical products by applying the latest research from its own worldwide laboratories and from collaborations with eminent scientific organizations. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Lilly provides answers – through medicines and information – for some of the world's most urgent medical needs. Additional information about Lilly is available at www.lilly.com.

About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is the 12th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides research-driven insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what could conceivably be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiary Novatris in France and through a global network of independent market research firms. The service bureau, HISB, provides its market research industry clients with mixed-mode data collection, panel development services as well as syndicated and tracking research consultation. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com.

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