Archive for the ‘Diabetic Retinopathy’ Category
Mechanism that causes blindness in diabetics is discovered.
03.04.2010A researcher has discovered the process which causes retinal cells to die causing blindness in diabetic patients. It has long been known that high blood sugar levels from diabetes damage blood vessels in the eye. The new discovery isolates the siah-1 protein as being a key component in the vascular damage in the eyes which leads to diabetic retinopathy.
The January 29th issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry has the details of the research.
Previous studies showed that high sugar levels cause GAPDH, another protein, to build up in the nuclei of Muller cells which are located in the retina. What scientists didn’t know was how the GAPDH was getting in the nuclei.
The siah-1 protein delivers GAPDH into the nucleus of Muller cells. When GAPDH accumulates in the nuclei, the Muller cells die which leads to the vascular damage. While production of GAPDH cannot be regulated, it is hoped that scientists will be able to stop the production of siah-1. If there is no siah-1 to transport the GAPDH to the nuclei, then diabetic retinopathy would no longer occur.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Avatar in 3D might cause visual problems in some people
02.20.20103D movies are making a huge comeback these days. Moviegoers flocked to the blockbuster “Avatar” and were dazzled by the 3D images. However, for a small percentage of people, 3D movies can be a real headache.
About 5 to 10 percent of people don’t have true depth perception and even more have trouble with their binocular vision. These are needed to see the 3D images in movies. Strabismus and amblyopia are both eye conditions which can cause the person to experience eyestrain which can in turn lead to a headache.
Strabismus is the professional term used when the eyes don’t align properly when focusing. Amblyopia is the loss or lack of development of clear central vision in one eye, even when using eyeglasses or contact lenses. Even people who struggle to keep their eyes lined up and moving together will have trouble processing the 3D images.
People who have experienced trouble when viewing 3D images should consult their eye care professional and have an eye exam and have their stereoscopic vision assessed.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Poor impulse control associated with Type 2 Diabetes
02.17.2010A recent study published in the online journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine reveals that type 2 diabetics were much more likely to demonstrate poor impulse control in psychological testing than healthy people.
Standard testing of impulse control of newly diagnosed diabetics resulted in the diabetics making about 50% more errors of commission than normal controls, regardless of whether they were overweight.
Cognitive impairment did not play a role because the diabetic patients performed just as well as controls did on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test of executive function.
The findings of this study may explain why diabetic patients have difficulty adjusting to the lifestyle changes of avoiding high-fat foods and daily exercise. Researchers would like to conduct further studies to determine the potential causal role of impulsivity in the development of type 2 diabetes. This could lead to the development of psycho-behavioral interventions aimed at improving impulse control which could be helpful in preventing or treating type 2 diabetes.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
High caloric and sodium intake associated with more severe eye disease in African-Americans
01.16.2010Diabetic African-American patients may benefit from a reduction of calories and sodium in their diets. Regulating caloric and sodium intake may reduce the development and progression of diabetic retinopathy.
The leading cause of blindness in 20 to 64 year-olds, diabetic retinopathy occurs when blood vessels in the retina are damaged by diabetes-related changes in the body. There are two causes of vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy: proliferative retinopathy and macular edema.
469 African-American patients were evaluated in the study which was published in the January issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. Patients with the greatest caloric intake at the beginning of the study were more likely to develop the vision-threatening retinopathy while those with high sodium intake were more likely to develop macular edema.
Researchers concluded that a change in diet may slow progression of diabetic retinopathy in African-American patients.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Laser treatments preferred over steroid injections for treament of diabetic retinal disease
01.10.2010Diabetic retinopathy is a leading cause of blindness among those dealing with diabetes. Diabetic macular edema can lead to progressive diabetic retinopathy. Laser photocoagulation is still the preferred method of treatment despite successful use of corticosteroid injections.
Researchers were led by specialists at the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute in testing the use of a corticosteroid injection of triamcinolone into the eye. The treatment was successful in slowing the progression of diabetic retinopathy but safety concerns warranted a cautionary statement from the researchers.
Researchers caution that the use of such steroids in the eye may increase the risk of glaucoma and cataracts which outweighs any benefits the injections deliver to the patient.
The study is published in the December 2009 issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. Researchers compared one of two treatments on eyes from 693 men and women suffering from diabetic retinopathy. The patients were randomly assigned to receive either the laser treatment or the steroid injection for diabetic macular edema.
The results showed that while the steroid shot did reduce the risk of progression of diabetic retinopathy, it did not slow the progression of diabetic macular edema. It was also shown the corticosteroids interfere with the creation of new blood vessels and they are also associated with other eye diseases. The consensus was that the laser treatments were a superior method of treating diabetic macular edema.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
