Study suggests new way to prevent vision loss in diabetics, premature babies

[Northerner]

A new molecule that induces the formation of abnormal blood vessels in the eyes of diabetic mice has been discovered by researchers. Their study suggests that inhibiting this molecule may prevent similarly aberrant blood vessels from damaging the vision of not only diabetics, but also premature infants.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/03/170322104923.htm

Sounds promising 🙂

 

[mikeyB]

Indeed, this is interesting, though antibody treatment is always expensive. Needs a lot of work to humanise it.

 

[trophywench]

Well true Mike - but that's if you mean that treating retinopathy is cheaper than preventing it? Cost isn't all about £££ on their own.

 

[Northerner]

Well true Mike - but that's if you mean that treating retinopathy is cheaper than preventing it? Cost isn't all about £££ on their own.

No amount of good control has been able to prevent it in my left eye, unfortunately

 

[mikeyB]

There's the rub Alan. Retinopathy is the one complication of diabetes that is only tenuously related to poor control, and is closely related to length of time the diagnosis has been present. Even then, not everyone gets it either way, so some other factors are in play.

 

[Northerner]

There's the rub Alan. Retinopathy is the one complication of diabetes that is only tenuously related to poor control, and is closely related to length of time the diagnosis has been present. Even then, not everyone gets it either way, so some other factors are in play.

Indeed - I have had excellent control since diagnosis, yet have been plagued with slowly-progressing problems since only two years after diagnosis I'm thankful to know there are a number of treatments available to help, but it's frustrating to have it happen in the first place! 🙄

 

[trophywench]

Yes, it would make me sulk like hell.

I hadn't realised really about eyesight and prem babies - but then whilst I was hoovering LOL after being on the forum earlier and having read this thread, that my younger stepdaughter (she's 44 LOL) was prem and has always had lousy eyesight - the proper milk bottle bottoms as lenses throughout her childhood, and it's only been sometime in the last 20 years she's been able to have the thinner lenses. You could get them privately before that but she 's never been in a position to afford them - I know my sis was able to get em where she lived near Brisbane but that didn't translate to them being available at affordable prices here LOL

She also mentioned yesterday she had recently had shedloads of blood tests (and forgot to ring for the results) and said 'they' reckoned she had some issue with her T cells .... I asked if they'd tested her TSH etc recently and she replied they were forever testing her for thyroid probs - not surprised really, she's less than size 6 wringing wet at approx. 5ft 9 and has to wear at least two pairs of leggings under her jeans all year round to try and keep warm ....

And I just hadn't even thought about her being prem and joining the dots up before.