Diabetes-related eye disease: Protect vision through awareness
November is Diabetes-related Eye Disease Awareness Month, and early detection and treatment of diabetes are key to reduce the risk for significant vision loss and blindness, according to Prevent Blindness.
To help raise awareness, the organization has created a comprehensive library of educational materials for the public and eye care professionals, including fact sheets and videos about diabetes-related eye health risks such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataracts and open-angle glaucoma.
“Diabetes can have a significant, negative impact on our eye health, as well as our overall health and quality of life,” Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness, said in a press release. “By working closely with health care professionals and adhering to medical advice, we can all work together to protect vision from the damaging effects of diabetes.”
To do our part for Diabetes-related Eye Disease Awareness Month, Healio has compiled a list of recent stories about new developments, treatments and risks to consider when treating patients with diabetes.
GLP-1RA use linked to 19% reduction in risk for glaucoma in type 2 diabetes
Use of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists was associated with a 19% reduction in risk for glaucoma in patients with type 2 diabetes, with longer use extending the protective association, according to a study in Ophthalmology.
“Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs), commonly prescribed for the management of type 2 diabetes and obesity, recently have gained attention for their role in facilitating retinal neuroprotection, which may prevent glaucoma development and progression,” Siar Niazi, MD, of the department of cardiology at North Zealand Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues wrote. Read more.
Peripheral neuropathy associated with dry eye disease in patients with diabetes
Patients with type 2 diabetes and more severe peripheral neuropathy appeared to be at greater risk for developing dry eye disease, according to a study published in Optometry and Vision Science.
“Previous studies have reported conflicting results on the association between dry eye disease and diabetic peripheral neuropathy,” Shyam Sunder Tummanapalli, PhD, a postdoctoral research scientist at the University of New South Wales School of Optometry & Vision Science, and colleagues wrote. “This apparent variability is attributed to the lack of standardized diagnostic criteria for dry eye disease, differing methodologies assessing peripheral neuropathy and relatively low statistical power. Moreover, these studies have not accounted for physiological or pathological influential covariates of both dry eye disease and peripheral neuropathy.” Read more.
Carotid artery stenosis linked to retinal changes in patients with diabetic retinopathy
Researchers reported an association between the severity of internal carotid artery stenosis and retinal health in proliferative diabetic retinopathy, highlighting the importance of carotid artery evaluations in these patients.
“Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and internal carotid artery (ICA) stenosis are interconnected conditions with implications for severe vision loss,” researchers at Maryknoll Hospital in Korea wrote in BMC Ophthalmology. “Understanding the intricate interplay between PDR and ICA stenosis is essential due to their potential bidirectional influence on each other.” Read more.
Dry eye disease common in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy
More than half of patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy had dry eye disease, which was independently associated with older age, high HbA1C and reduced glomerular filtration rate, according to research conducted in Vietnam.
“Kidney complications and eye complications often go together, and ‘renal-retinal syndrome’ originates from this coincidence,” Thang Tran Tat, from Nghe An Eye Hospital in Vietnam, and colleagues wrote in Clinical Ophthalmology. “There have been many studies on dry eyes in diabetic patients. However, the prevalence of dry eyes and related factors in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy has not been studied much.” Read more.
AI system boosts diabetic eye exam completion rates among youth with diabetes
An autonomous artificial intelligence system increased diabetic eye exam completion rates in youth with diabetes and could help close the care gap in underserved communities, according to a study published in Nature Communications.
“While the introduction of telemedicine over the last two decades has improved screening and facilitated early detection of diabetic eye disease [DED], the development of diagnostic autonomous artificial intelligence systems for diagnosing DED has ushered in the next chapter of DED screening,” Risa M. Wolf, MD, from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and colleagues wrote. Read more.
Automated machine-learning models may help predict diabetic retinopathy progression
Automated machine-learning models accurately identified risk for diabetic retinopathy progression using ultra-widefield retinal images, according to a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
“Estimating the risk of diabetic retinopathy progression is one of the most important and challenging tasks clinicians face when caring for individuals with diabetic eye disease,” Paolo S. Silva, MD, from the Beetham Eye Institute at Joslin Diabetes Center, and colleagues wrote. Read more.
APX3330 ‘promising’ oral treatment option for slowing progression of diabetic retinopathy
Oral APX3330 showed clinically meaningful response compared with placebo in slowing progression of diabetic retinopathy in the phase 2 ZETA-1 trial.
Ocuphire Pharma’s study results were presented at the virtual Angiogenesis, Exudation and Degeneration 2024 conference. Read more.
Reference:
- Prevent Blindness provides free educational resources for Diabetes-related Eye Disease Awareness Month. https://preventblindness.org/2024-diabetes-awareness-month/. Published Oct. 29, 2024. Accessed Oct. 31, 2024.