Therapy may help slow eye disease

July 26, 2010

Adults suffering from type-2 diabetes may have found a solution for dealing with one side effect of the disease diabetic retinopathy, ScienceDaily.com reports.

Researchers recently discovered that an intensive blood sugar regiment helped reduce the progression of the eye condition. They also discovered another treatment, a combination of lipid therapy and fibrate and statin therapy. These two treatments had shown significant reductions in the disease compared to singular therapies.

"This is the largest study to date examining the effects of blood sugar, combination lipid therapy, and blood pressure control on the prevention of diabetic retinopathy progression using retinal photographs," Dr Walter T Ambrosius, principal investigator of the study, told the news source.

Researchers found that if individuals who are currently battling diabetes, and who are also at a high risk of suffering a heart attack, benefited most from the intensive combination treatments in helping slow the diabetic retinopathy, but did not see any significant improvement in lessening their chance of a heart attack.

The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends adults over the age of 40 have an eye exam conducted once every two years. Early detection of vision problems may help slow the progression of the condition with the proper treatment.