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In rare cases of uncontrolled diabetes, sufferers can turn blind.

One the most common forms of diabetic eye disease is diabetic retinopathy.

Its caused by having higher than normal levels of blood glucose for a long period of time which can damage the small blood vessels within the retina.

These are the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye that converts light into signals for the brain.

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A new drug has just been approved by the FDA to treat all forms of the diabetic eye disease.

Until recently, theres been no way to reverse it.

However, a drug has just been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat all forms of the diabetic eye disease.

Previously the drug, Lucentis, had been available for use in the US to manage patients with diabetic macular edema (DME), and was given the go-ahead for its use in the UK in 2013.

Now it can be used to treat diabetic retinopathy in patients with or without DME.

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People should be aware signs and symptoms of diabetes are not always obvious and the condition is often diagnosed during GP check ups.

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Sandra Horning, chief medical officer and head global product development at Genentech, the developers of Lucentis, said: "Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss among working-aged adults in the US between the ages of 20 and 74.

We are very pleased that Lucentis is now FDA-approved to treat retinopathy in people with and without DME.

Currently the main way to treat the condition is with laser eye surgery, which works by preventing fresh blood vessel growth and improving the nutrient and oxygen supply to the retina.

Prior to the FDAs approval, research compared Lucentis directly with laser surgery.

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In the study, the drug was shown to significantly improve diabetic retinopathy among the 300 patients who trialled it.

Its the first vascular endothelial growth factor (VEFG) inhibitor to be approved for treating all forms of diabetic retinopathy.

VEGF sends new blood vessels to help affected tissues, but this can actually make sight worse.

There are two ways vision loss due to diabetes can occur.

Either weak, abnormal blood vessels can develop on the surface of the retina, leaking fluid onto the centre of the eye, and blurring vision.

Alternatively, fluid can leak from the blood vessels into the central area of the retina that provides our central vision, and cause it to swell.

Read the original:
Diabetes sufferers could REVERSE blindness with new drug - Express.co.uk

This entry was posted on May 19, 2017 at 2:41 pm and is filed under Blindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |