By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - A landmark 2025 study has revealed a worrying trend in the health of middle-aged Africans. According to the study, the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes has doubled in just six years across South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Burkina Faso, now affecting 10.9% of adults in this age group. This alarming rise has a direct link to a significant increase in a preventable eye disease. People with Type 2 Diabetes are at twice the risk of developing cataracts compared to the general population. Dr. Mpopi Lenake, a member of the Ophthalmological Society of South Africa, explains that high blood sugar levels cause chemical changes in the eye, which leads to the breakdown and clumping of proteins in the lens. This clumping causes the lens to cloud over, accelerating cataract formation...

<p>By Newsbreak Producer Taliesha Naidoo - A landmark 2025 study has revealed a worrying trend in the health of middle-aged Africans. According to the study, the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes has doubled in just six years across South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, and Burkina Faso, now affecting 10.9% of adults in this age group. This alarming rise has a direct link to a significant increase in a preventable eye disease. People with Type 2 Diabetes are at twice the risk of developing cataracts compared to the general population. Dr. Mpopi Lenake, a member of the Ophthalmological Society of South Africa, explains that high blood sugar levels cause chemical changes in the eye, which leads to the breakdown and clumping of proteins in the lens. This clumping causes the lens to cloud over, accelerating cataract formation...</p>

Award-winning Current Affairs programme and News talk show. Brought to you by SABC News.

<p>Award-winning Current Affairs programme and News talk show. Brought to you by SABC News.</p>

Advertisement