National Diabetes Month: A Perfect Time to Schedule Your Annual Eye Exam

November is National Diabetes Month and a perfect reminder for individuals with diabetes to schedule their annual eye exam. It’s not just about controlling glucose and blood sugar levels - an annual screening for diabetic retinopathy is also incredibly important in keeping you healthy. 

Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness in adults under the age of 70, and diabetic retinopathy affects roughly 25% of diabetics. Diabetic retinopathy is caused by the deterioration of blood vessels that nourish the retina. When this happens, the vessels weaken and leak fluid that would have otherwise provided healthy nourishment for the retina. 

The early stages of the disease are quite subtle and most patients don’t notice a change in vision until a much later stage when they experience blurred vision or floaters in the eye. The longer the individual has had diabetes and the level of the individual’s diabetic control are both factors that can lead to a greater chance of developing diabetic retinopathy. 

If the disease is caught and monitored in an early stage, more of the sight-damaging effects can be slowed or stopped completely. 

Ophthalmologist Clayton Falknor, M.D. explained, “If a person with diabetes waits until they notice vision problems to have their eyes examined, they run a much greater chance of having more severe retinal disease which may require laser treatments, injectable medications, and possibly even surgery. Their primary care physician also needs to know the extent of retinopathy present to guide the aggressiveness of blood sugar management on a day-to-day basis.”

A comprehensive annual exam is one of the best ways to keep diabetic retinopathy in check. Make an appointment with one of our skilled ophthalmologists at the Eye Clinic of Austin to ensure early diagnosis and treatment.

Source: http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/national-diabetes-month-good-time-focus-eye-health

Research Finds New Eye Drops Could Treat Macular Degeneration

New research published in the journal PLos One earlier this month has many sufferers of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) hopeful for the possibility of a new treatment. 

Age-related macular degeneration is an eye disease that gradually destroys the macula, the part of the eye that provides sharp, central vision needed for seeing objects clearly. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 2 million Americans over the age of 40 have poor vision caused by AMD.

The new findings experimented with a chemical PPADS (short for pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2’,4’-disulfonic acid) to repair AMD-related damage to the eye. Researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts induced tissue damage and blood vessel growth characteristic of AMD in anesthetized mice and then applied PPADS daily, which resulted in the chemical healing the eye damage. 

The positive implication from this is the fact that a topical application of a drug - for example, in the form of an eye drop - could ultimately be used on humans to treat AMD. Previous research sought to show that certain dietary supplements, such as lutein, were effective in reducing the risk of progressing from dry macular degeneration to wet macular degeneration. This new study has many researchers excited for the possibilities of self-administered treatments. 

Ophthalmologist Thomas Henderson, M.D. explained, “If confirmed in humans, this chemical, given as an eye drop, could potentially reduce or eliminate the huge cost of and need for monthly injections into the eye to stabilize wet macular degeneration and preserve vision.”

Because this research is the first of its kind to demonstrate a topical application of a drug treating wet macular degeneration, much more research is now due in order to confirm this study’s findings.

Source: http://www.livescience.com/40387-eye-drops-could-treat-age-related-macular-degeneration.html 

Photo Credit: Ross Toro, myhealthnewsdaily.com