The leading cause of new cases of blindness in most developed countries is diabetic retinopathy, a diabetes-related eye disease. Worldwide, the number of people with diabetes is expected to double within 20 years due to changes in diet and lifestyle.

LCIF has approved 15 diabetes-related grants for US$1.3 million since diabetes prevention and control became part of LCIF's Core 4 program in 1999. The grants have supported camps that teach children to live with the disease, large-scale screening and treatment programs and projects to raise awareness of the disease.

Additionally, LCIF awarded nearly $5 million to the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for research on diabetic retinopathy. The funding, the world's largest source of non-governmental support for diabetic retinopathy research, resulted in a greater understanding of the disease and laid the groundwork for more effective treatments. The grants funded 56 researchers in nine countries.