LALES Landmark Findings: ~50% of LA Latinos with Diabetes Have Diabetic Retinopathy; 75% of Latinos with Glaucoma Were Undiagnosed
Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES) — landmark NEI study of 6,357 Los Angeles Latinos aged 40+ — established two staggering findings still cited 20 years later:
- ~50% of Latinos with diabetes have diabetic retinopathy, with >10% having macular edema
- 75% of Latinos with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension were UNDIAGNOSED before LALES screening.
Open-angle glaucoma prevalence ~5% overall, climbing to 15% in those in their 70s. Despite landmark NIH/NEI evidence two decades old, most CA FQHCs do not have routine glaucoma screening protocols built into primary care.
ACU + NACHC's 2025 expansion brief frames vision care AS primary care precisely to fix this. Critical for Latino-majority CA FQHCs (AltaMed, La Clínica de la Raza, Clínica Sierra Vista, Northeast Valley Health, Northeast Community Clinic).
Primary source
NEI / Los Angeles Latino Eye StudyFQHC Talent. (2004, January 1). LALES Landmark Findings: ~50% of LA Latinos with Diabetes Have Diabetic Retinopathy; 75% of Latinos with Glaucoma Were Undiagnosed. Primary source: NEI / Los Angeles Latino Eye Study. Retrieved June 15, 2026, from https://www.fqhctalent.com/intel/lales-landmark-latino-eye-study-disparities
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