Two new risk prediction tools can identify diabetics who are at high risk of blindness and amputation — two serious complications of diabetes, according to a study published in The British Medical Journal (BMJ) this week.

Using the tools could help doctors personalize care and advice, and target resources at those in greatest need.

The tools, developed by Julia Hippisley-Cox and Carol Coupland at the University of Nottingham, based on assessment of such patient risk factors as ethnicity, smoking, body mass index, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.

The work is based on an analysis of data derived from electronic patient records of nearly 455,000 British diabetes over a 10-year period.

“To our knowledge, these are the first tools for predicting the 10 year risk of both blindness and amputation, two of the complications that most concern patients with diabetes and affect quality of life,” said the researchers.