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Neuroprotective drops may prevent development, progression of diabetic retinopathy
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VIENNA, Austria — Administration of a neuroprotective agent in eye drops may help prevent diabetic retinopathy from developing or progressing, according to one specialist.
“The rationale of our approach is that, at the very early stages of DR, neurodegeneration does exist and is more evident than early microvascular impairment,” Rafael Simό, MD, said at the Advanced Retinal Therapy meeting here.
Rafael Simό
In a preclinical study conducted within the framework of the European Consortium for the Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy (EUROCONDOR), the neuroprotective agent somatostatin was able to reach the retina through the eye drop vehicle. A 2-year clinical study is underway in humans.
Somatostatin is naturally produced in the eye and is greatly reduced in patients with diabetes, according to Simό.
“It’s a replacement treatment, very natural, which can reach the retina very easily,” Simό said. “It could become a complementary treatment to the reduction of blood glucose level. In the early stages of DR it is inconceivable to propose intravitreal injections, because visual acuity is still good.”
The research will also attempt to identify which subset of patients could benefit from neuroprotective therapy, because neurodegeneration does not precede microvascular damage in the early stages of DR in all patients with diabetes.
Disclosure: Simό has no relevant financial disclosures