To evaluate the correlation between glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and central foveal thickness as measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with diabetes. Retrospectively review of medical records of central foveal thickness as measured by OCT and laboratory data of glycosylated haemoglobin. HbA1c was compared with foveal thickness measured by ...

PURPOSE: To review the available information on classification of diabetic macular edema (DME) as focal or diffuse. DESIGN: Interpretive essay. METHODS: Literature review and interpretation. RESULTS: The terms focal diabetic macular edema and diffuse diabetic macular edema frequently are used without clear definitions. Published definitions often use different examination methods ...

PURPOSE: To determine whether tight glycemic control prevents development of basement membrane (BM) thickening in retinal and glomerular capillaries of diabetic rats and whether the extent to which BM thickening develops is linked to fibronectin (FN) overexpression and the degree of hyperglycemia. METHODS: Retinal and renal cortical tissues obtained from ...

Role of oxidative stress has been reported in various diabetic complications including neuropathy, nephropathy and cardiopathy. This study was undertaken to evaluate the protective effect of Bacopa monnieri, a medicinal plant, on tissue antioxidant defense system and lipid peroxidative status in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Extract of B. monnieri was administered ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether the micronutrients that were shown to reduce the risk of development of age-related macular degeneration in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) can have the same effect on the development of diabetic retinopathy in rats, and to understand the possible mechanisms. METHODS: Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats received ...

Iluvien (fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal insert, Alimera Sciences, Inc.), a novel injectable intravitreal insert, is being studied to deliver a very low dose of a corticosteroid to the retina for up to 3 years as a treatment for diabetic macular edema. Using a proprietary 25-gauge injector system, an ophthalmologist injects the ...

We reported a 75-year-old diabetic man, who developed opacification and neovascularization of the posterior capsule after extracapsular cataract extraction and posterior chamber intraocular lens implantation. The patient was treated with two injections of 2.5 mg of intravitreal bevacizumab. The treatment produced an important regression of the posterior capsular new vessels, ...

Neurodegeneration is an important component of diabetic retinopathy as demonstrated by increased neural apoptosis in the retina during experimental and human diabetes. Accumulation of sorbitol and fructose and the generation or enhancement of oxidative stress has been reported in the whole retina of diabetic animals. Aldose reductase (AR), the first ...

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study is to demonstrate the participation of the inflammatory-immune process in the pathogenesis of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). METHODS: Twenty four women and 22 men with type 2 diabetes (mean age 63.97 +/- 9.00 years, mean duration of diabetes 12.56 +/- 6.87 years) were enrolled ...

PURPOSE: To investigate if nipradilol has an anti-apoptotic effect in serum-deprived RGC-5 cells and in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat retina. METHODS: Apoptosis was quantified by activated caspase-3 immunohistochemistry or terminal dUTP nick end-labeling assay. RESULTS: Nipradilol dose-dependently suppressed apoptosis in a protein kinase A- and G-dependent manner and counteracted glutamate-induced ...

This article evaluates the current knowledge of the molecular mechanisms by which diabetes ocular and systemic inflammation induce breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier resulting in macular edema. We also summarize the relationship between molecular targets and the use of therapeutic inhibitors in preclinical studies and clinical trials. Further studies are ...

Elderly diabetic persons are 1.5 times more likely than age-matched nondiabetic persons to develop vision loss and blindness. Annually, between 12,000 and 24,000 diabetic patients in the United States become legally blind because of complications caused by diabetic retinopathy. Even more diabetic persons experience vision loss caused by comorbid ocular ...

Retinal blood flow decreases early in the progression of diabetic retinopathy; however, the mediators and mechanisms responsible for this decrease have yet to be determined. In this study, diabetes was induced by streptozotocin in rats, and retinal blood flow was measured via intravital microscopy 1 or 3 weeks following the ...

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: People of African origin have increased risk of stroke and retinal microvascular disease compared with populations of European origin. We compared quantitative measures of retinal microvasculature in British white Europeans and African Caribbeans. METHODS: Population-based study of 215 (45% male) British African-Caribbean migrants and 323 (48% male) white Europeans ...

OBJECTIVE: To assess the associations of retinal vessel caliber with the 10-year incidence of diabetes and impaired fasting glucose (IFG). METHODS: The Blue Mountains Eye Study is a population based cohort study of Australian residents aged at least 49 years, with baseline examinations conducted during 1992-4. Retinal arteriolar and venular ...

AIM: To determine the intravitreous concentration of monokine induced by interferon-gamma (Mig) in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and the relation between Mig and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Vitreous samples were obtained at the time of vitrectomy from 41 eyes of 38 DR patients (30 ...

Diabetic retinopathy can result in vision loss and involves progressive neurovascular degeneration of the retina. This study tested the hypothesis that diabetes decreases the retinal expression of presynaptic proteins involved in synaptic function. The protein and mRNA contents for synapsin I, synaptophysin, vesicle-associated membrane protein 2, synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 ...

BACKGROUND: The relationship between diabetic risk factors and macular thickness in individuals without clinically detectable diabetic macular oedema has yet to be formally explored. The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between macular thickness and diabetes control and duration. METHODS: This was a prospective, cross-sectional study. All ...

PURPOSE: To analyze the value of reading center error correction in automated optical coherence tomography (OCT; Stratus; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, CA) retinal thickness measurements in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME). METHODS: OCT scans (n=6522) obtained in seven Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network (DRCR.net) studies were analyzed. The ...

PURPOSE: Lysyl oxidase (LOX) cross-links the side chain of collagen and elastin and thereby contributes to extracellular matrix (ECM) integrity. ECM remodeling is seen in various ocular diseases. Until now, there have been no reports on the LOX enzyme's activity in ocular tissues. The purpose of this study was to ...

OBJECTIVE: The mechanism underlying pericyte loss during incipient diabetic retinopathy remains controversial. Hyperglycemia induces angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) transcription, which modulates capillary pericyte coverage. In this study, we assessed loss of pericyte subgroups and the contribution of Ang-2 to pericyte migration. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Numbers of total pericytes and their subgroups ...

One of the major complications of diabetes is the alteration of the blood-retinal barrier, leading to retinal edema and consequent vision loss. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA)/uPA receptor (uPAR) system in the regulation of retinal vascular permeability. Biochemical, molecular, ...

Disruption of the quiescent state of blood vessels in the retina leads to aberrant vasopermeability and angiogenesis, the major causes of vision loss in diabetic retinopathy. Prolactin is expressed throughout the retina, where it is proteolytically cleaved to vasoinhibins, a family of peptides (including the 16-kDa fragment of prolactin) with ...

We investigated the effects of epinephrine and dopamine on retinal blood vessels in streptozotocin (STZ, 80 mg/kg, i.p.)-treated rats and age-matched control rats to determine whether diabetes mellitus alters the retinal vascular responses to circulating catecholamines. Experiments were performed 6-8 weeks after treatment with STZ or the vehicle. The fundus ...

OBJECTIVE: Alterations in retinal vascular caliber may reflect early subclinical microvascular dysfunction. In this study, we examined the association of retinal vascular caliber to incident retinopathy in young patients with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a prospective cohort study of 645 initially retinopathy-free type 1 diabetic ...

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a serious medical problem that causes long-term systemic complications and considerable associated morbidity. DM can cause retinopathy (DRP), maculopathy, cataract, optic neuropathy, defects of eye muscles. DM is a risk factor for acute infectious conjunctivitis, bacterial keratitis, herpes virus infections and endophtalmitis. Elevated blood glucose induces ...

Increased retinal vasopermeability contributes to diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults. Despite clinical progress, effective therapy remains a major need. Vasoinhibins, a family of peptides derived from the protein hormone prolactin (and inclusive of the 16-kDa fragment of prolactin), antagonize the proangiogenic effects of VEGF, a ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Photoreceptor-specific upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in a transgenic mouse model (Kimba) of retinal neovascularisation induces retinal vascular damage which appears similar to that in diabetic retinopathy. Here we have determined whether the choroidal vasculature is also affected in Kimba. METHODS: Kimba mice were assessed with fundus ...

The number of patients with type 2 diabetes continues to rise; an anticipated 300 million people will be affected by 2025. The immense social and economic burden of the condition is exacerbated by the initial asymptomatic nature of type 2 diabetes, resulting in a high prevalence of micro-and macrovascular complications ...

This study was aimed at evaluating the potent and specific aldose reductase inhibitor fidarestat, on diabetes-associated cataract formation, and retinal oxidative-nitrosative stress, glial activation, and apoptosis. Control and streptozotocin-diabetic rats were treated with or without fidarestat (16 mg kg(-1)d(-1)) for 10 weeks after an initial 2-week period without treatment. Lens ...

Diabetic retinopathy is a debilitating complication of diabetes and a leading cause of vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy is a multifactoral disease that affects multiple cell types within the retina resulting in changes in glial function, the vasculature and neuronal apoptosis. However, the fundamental mechanisms contributing to vision loss remain undefined. ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate various aspects of nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NA-AION) in patients with diabetes mellitus and to compare them with those in patients without diabetes mellitus. DESIGN: Cohort study. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 655 consecutive patients (931 eyes) with NA-AION, first seen in the clinic from 1973 to ...

Diabetic retinopathy, a common complication of diabetes mellitus, involves impaired retinal function and progressive neurodegeneration. Despite significant advances in the field of diabetes research, diabetic retinopathy affects more than 90% of individuals with diabetes and remains a leading cause of new cases of adult blindness. A number of clinical reports ...

A broad spectrum of retinal diseases affects both the retinal vasculature and the neural retina, including photoreceptor and postreceptor layers. The accepted clinical hallmarks of acute retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) are dilation and tortuosity of the retinal vasculature. Additionally, significant early and persistent effects on photoreceptor and postreceptor neural structures ...

OBJECTIVE: Pathogenic mechanisms underlying diabetes-induced retinal dysfunction are not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to show the relationship of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) with the synaptic vesicle protein synaptophysin and neuronal activity in the diabetic retina. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: C57BL/6 mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes were ...

Blindness or low vision affects more than 3 million Americans 40 years and older, and this number is projected to reach 5.5 million by 2020. In addition to treating a patient's vision loss and comorbid medical issues, physicians must be aware of the physical limitations and social issues associated with ...

Experimental prevention of basal lamina (BL) thickening of retinal capillaries ameliorates early vascular changes caused by diabetes. Connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) is upregulated early in diabetes in the human retina and is a potent inducer of expression of BL components. We hypothesize that CTGF is causally involved in diabetes-induced ...

By means of highly sensitive radioimmunoassays, the levels of substance P (SP) and secretoneurin (SN) were detected in vitreous aspirates of patients with macular holes which served as controls, in patients with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (DR), active proliferative diabetic retinopathy (active PDR), inactive PDR, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment and proliferative vitreoretinopathy ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Due to modest outcomes with macular laser, other treatment modalities for diabetic macular edema have been evaluated. Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide, pars plana vitrectomy, oral protein kinase C inhibitors and, from more recently, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy are reviewed. RECENT FINDINGS: Intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide may be more ...

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of a single intraoperative sub-Tenon injection of triamcinolone acetonide on the progression of diabetic retinopathy (DR), visual outcomes, and cystoid macular edema (CME) after cataract surgery. SETTING: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea. METHODS: This ...

A 12-year-old girl with no previous visual complaints or diagnosis of diabetes mellitus presented with suddenly developing bilateral cataracts and related decreased vision. On examination, visual acuity was bilateral light perception and dense cortical cataract was identified. This is an unusual manifestation in a 12-year-old patient. After regulation of blood ...

PURPOSE: The angiopoietin (Ang) system plays an important role in vascular stabilization and pathologic neovascularization. The hypothesis for the study was that, in addition to modulating endothelial cell behavior, the angiopoietin/Tie-2 system also regulates the pericyte apoptosis and/or the vessel maturation associated with diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Tie-2 expression in cultured ...

An increase in plasma concentrations of homocysteine (Hcy) in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) has been described. The aim of this study was to investigate vitreous Hcy levels in patients with PDR. Plasma and vitreous samples were obtained simultaneously at the time of vitreoretinal surgery from 20 patients with PDR and ...

To examine the early differences in the thicknesses of the macula and retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) by Stratus optical coherence tomography in patients with diabetes mellitus. Thirty-one normal participants without any optic nerve and retinal diseases (control), 45 diabetic patients without diabetic retinopathy (NDR), and 24 diabetic patients with ...

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effectiveness of intravitreal bevacizumab injection as primary treatment of diabetic macular oedema. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty eyes of 30 diabetic patients were treated with 2.5 mg of intravitreal bevacizumab injection as the primary therapy for diabetic macular oedema. The main outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity, ...

Retinopathy, a largely microvascular complication, affects over 80% of patients with diabetes for 20 years. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of diabetes on the activation of H-Ras, a small molecular weight G-protein that regulates cell fate, in the retinal microvessels. Microvessels were prepared from freshly ...

PURPOSE: To develop a predictive model for patients with diabetes who are most likely to have vitreous hemorrhage clearing by 3 months after a single, intravitreous injection of highly purified, preservative-free, ovine hyaluronidase (Vitrase; ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Irvine, CA). METHODS: Post hoc data analysis was performed on two randomized, double-masked, ...

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Diabetic retinopathy is the most common complication of diabetes and a leading cause of blindness among working-age adults. Anatomical and functional changes occur in the retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) prior to clinical symptoms of the disease. However, the molecular mechanisms responsible for these early changes, particularly in ...

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a key role in the development of both proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and diabetic macular oedema (DMO). In recent years, anti-VEGF agents have emerged as new approaches to the treatment of these devastating diabetic complications. Although Phase III studies in the diabetic population are ...

Retinal microvascular cell loss plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. To examine this further, type 1 streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and type 2 Zucker diabetic fatty rats were treated by intravitreal injection of the tumor necrosis factor-specific inhibitor pegsunercept, and the impact was measured by analysis of ...