Diabetic retinopathy is a disease where blood vessels in the eye tissue are damaged by diabetes.
High amounts of glucose in your blood for extended periods of time or in frequent intervals can make blood vessels leak which causes the retina to swell. Also, irregular new blood vessels can develop from high blood sugars.
Both of these problems contribute to blurry vision and vision loss.
It’s a scary thing but it can be prevented!
The number one prevention plan is to keep your blood sugars in the normal range. But doctors have been studying other ways to prevent retinopathy or at least to slow down its progression.
A study called the "Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD)" Eye Study just came out with new promising results.
Here are some of the highlights:
The Study Structure
- The study had two main groups: standard blood sugar control and intensive blood sugar control
- The standard blood sugar control group received medication to control blood sugars, lower LDL cholesterol, and lower blood pressure.
- The intensive blood sugar control group received medication to have near normal blood sugars, lower LDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, raise HDL cholesterol, and have near normal blood pressure.
- We know that intensive blood sugar control slows the progression of diabetic retinopathy in people with Type 1 diabetes and newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes.
- The ACCORD Eye Study now shows that the same intensive control slows retinopathy in people who have had Type 2 diabetes for over 10 years.
The Results
- The intensive control of blood sugars, triglycerides, and cholesterol decreased the progression of diabetic retinopathy by about one-third over four years.
- The intensive control group dropped their average A1c to 6.4%
- Taking the combination of a fibrate medication (lowers triglycerides and raises HDL) and a statin medication (lowers LDL) reduced retinopathy progression better than just taking a statin alone.
- Intensive blood pressure (120/80) control didn’t slow down retinopathy anymore than the standard blood pressure control (140/80) did.
This treatment was proven safe for some people but it is important to know that intensive blood sugar control can increase risk of death and severe low blood sugar in some patients. You must talk with your doctor to decide if you are at risk or if you are a good candidate for this treatment to prevent or delay diabetic retinopathy.
New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) July, 2010
Tags: Blood Glucose, Blood Sugars, Controlling Blood Sugars, Diabetic Retinopathy, Fibrates, Intensive Blood Gluocse Control, Microvascular Disease, Monitoring Blood Glucose, Retinopathy Prevention, Retinopathy Treatment, Statins, Vision Loss