Diabetics Not Getting Necessary Vision Treatment

“Despite recent advances in prevention and treatment of most vision loss attributed to diabetes, a new study shows that fewer than half of Americans with damage to their eyes from diabetes are aware of the link between the disease and visual impairment, and only six in 10 had their eyes fully examined in the year leading up to the study,” according to Science Daily. “The research, described online on Dec. 19 in JAMA Ophthalmology, also found that nearly half of those with diabetes and eye damage had not visited a clinician charged with managing their disease in that same time period.” Read more.

Microsoft and UofW Working on New CL

Microsoft and the University of Washington are developing a CL for diabetics, according to the blog TechnaBob. (While not news, there was some neat video released recently.) It adds: "While none of the current lens components have a built-in display, the team envisions a day where the lens itself would provide its wearer with heads-up information, without need for any additional components. Sure, it sounds a bit like science fiction, but with a real-world medical problem driving research, it’s possible the development of such wondrous things will receive investment and make it to market sooner than we think." Read more.

Lucentis Helps Improve Vision

The National Eye Institute announced the results of a Lucentis trial:

Evidence has accumulated that abnormal blood vessel growth in diabetic retinopathy is caused by a protein, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This trial compared the effectiveness of laser therapy alone to laser therapy combined with Lucentis, a drug that prevents VEGF from stimulating abnormal blood vessel growth. The study involved 690 patients at 52 clinical sites within the DRCR.net. Nearly 50 percent of patients who received the combination of Lucentis and laser treatment experienced substantial visual improvement after one year, compared with only 28 percent who received laser treatment alone.

ECPs Help Diabetics

"Eye clinics that screen diabetics who don't make it into a specialist's office may help identify eye problems early on, new study findings report," according to a post on MSNBC.