Patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in their youth or early adulthood have more than double the risk of retinopathy than those diagnosed in old age, an Australian study has found.

The findings highlight the need for improved surveillance and management of people with young-onset diabetes, the University of Sydney-led researchers say.

Using data from 3300 patients from the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Diabetes Centre, who were diagnosed with the condition between the ages of 15 and 70, the team assessed whether young people had an increased susceptibility to diabetic retinopathy than older patients.

Participants were stratified by age of diagnosis — 15 to under 40 years, 40 to under 50, 50 to under 60 and 60 to under 70. The duration of diabetes ranged from 10 to 25 years.