Ways to prevent retinal damage with diabetes

  Diabetes, a leading cause of blindness in the United States is now more treatable than ever.   Newer, injectable medications are now available that can reverse the harmful effects from abnormal blood vessel formation that can result in bleeding and swelling known as macula edema.   However, before one ever gets to the stage where treatment is necessary, careful medical management has been shown to reduce the need for treatment. Recent studies have confirmed what doctors have suspected for a long time, that is by aggressively treating high blood sugar you can significantly reduce the need for treatment.  The problem is that if the blood sugar level is too tightly controlled it has been shown to be dangerous for many individuals.  This is probably related to the fact that these people may be prone to hypoglycemia or low blood sugar levels which may lead to premature death.  For this reason diabetics need to be monitored closely so that blood sugar levels can be maintained at safe levels.

Optimizing cholesterol levels has also shown to have a beneficial effect.  In addition to using statins such as lipitor which can significantly lower cholesterol levels, adding fenofibrate which lowers triglycerides while increasing HDL can also slow the progression of this disease., and what's good for the eyes is good for the heart since cardiovascular disease is also greatly reduced.

Another variable that was examined in a recent study was hypertension.  While it is known that severe hypertension can worsen diabetic retinopathy, overly aggressive treatment i.e. lowering blood pressure from 140 to120 had no effect.

All patients recently diagnosed with diabetes should have a thorough eye exam.