Diabetic retinopathy could be slowed with steroid injects in the eye


One of the complications of diabetes is this development of the eye disease diabetic retinopathy which can lead the sufferer to become blind. It affects thousands of people each year and is currently slowed down with the use of laser treatments and the control of blood glucose levels. Despite there being several treatments already available, researchers are still very keen to try and find any new ones.

Diabetic retinopathy develops when new blood vessels are formed within the retina – in most cases on the optic disc. This can then lead to vision loss if left untreated or allowed to progress at a fast rate. However, researchers are hoping that they have found that the use of steroid injections which are inserted into the eye, are helpful in interfering with this creation of new blood vessels that causes the disease. However, the researchers involved in developing this new steroid injection are up against competition with the surgery needing to be proven relatively safe with there already being safe and effective treatments available.

This recent study which was conducted by Dr. Bressler of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine involved the testing of a variety of different therapies to treat macular edema, which is often found in retinopathy when fluid leaks into part of the retina. With 840 eyes used out of 693 volunteers the eyes received one of three treatments; 4-milligram injection of the steroid triamcinolone acetonide every four months; the same steroid injection administered four monthly but a 1-milligram dose and photocoagulation (a laser treatment that destroys the blood vessels). The patients were then examined another two years later and the results were as follows: Retinopathy had progressed in 53/254 (21%) of eyes that received the 4-milligram dose; 74/256 (29%) of eyes that received the 1-milligram dose and 102/330 (31%) of eyes that received photocoagulation. They were then tested at the three year mark and the results were thought to be sustained. 

The results look promising from the steroid point of view; yet specialists remain cautious. Dr. Bressler himself commented that they couldn’t warrant the use of these steroids as of yet due to the increased risk of steroids causing cataracts and glaucoma. Nevertheless, research will continue into the benefits and risks of using these steroid injections as a treatment for retinopathy.

26th December 2009

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