Tag: diabetic retinpathy
Natural Compound Stops Diabetic Retinopathy
by admin on Jul.13, 2009, under Educational
The discovery of the compound’s function in inflammation and blood vessel formation related to eye disease means scientists can now develop new therapies –including eye drops – to stop diabetic retinopathy, a disease which affects as many as five million Americans with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
“There is no good treatment for retinopathy, which is why we are so excited about this work. This opens an entirely new area for pharmaceutical companies to target,” said Jay Ma, the principal investigator on the project and a research partner at the OU Health Sciences Center, Dean A. McGee Eye Institute and the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center.
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in American adults. It is caused by changes in blood vessels of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. In some people with diabetic retinopathy, blood vessels may swell and leak fluid. In other people, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina. Over time, diabetic retinopathy can get worse and cause some vision loss or blindness.
Oklahoma researchers found that this inflammation and leakage is caused by an imbalance of two systems in the eye. To restore balance, they delivered the new compound to cells using nanoparticle technology. The treatment in research models stopped the leakage, blocked inflammation and kept unwanted blood vessels from growing. Researchers are now testing the compound’s uses for cancer and age-related macular degeneration.
By University of Oklahoma
Source for complete article: http://www.huliq.com/11/83025/natural-compound-stops-diabetic-retinopathy
Tips & Solutions for Diabetic Retinopathy and Low Vision
by admin on May.06, 2009, under Low Vision Tips
“I think I’m the only blind principal in Los Angeles,” stated Connie Gibson after she developed diabetic retinopathy, which later led to sudden vision loss after complications from laser surgery. Now age 59, Gibson is currently legally blind, but has been able to move forward with her life. She continues working and living an active lifestyle despite her disability.
Vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy affects one in every 12 people with diabetes who are 40 or older. According to the National Eye Institute, it is one of the most common eye diseases among Americans age 40 and over that leads to some form of visual impairment like low vision, along with age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts….
Source for complete article: http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2009/05/05/6180/tips-and-solutions-for-diabetic-retinopathy-and-low-vision/
