Treatment unnecessary for patients with diabetic macular edema and good vision
The National Institutes of Health funded a clinical trial that found starting treatment prior to vision loss is not needed for most people but close monitoring is essential. In a press release, NIH said results show that even despite having center-involved diabetic macular edema, if patients have good vision, they can safely skip having to begin immediate treatment for the eye condition if they remain closely monitored.
The disease, noted NIH, id often very tricky to address because treating diabetic macular edema in patients who still have good vision too soon can be costly and pose risks, while those who receive therapies after too late after onset are at risk of permanent vision loss.
Diabetic macular edema, the most common cause of vision loss among people with diabetes, is the result of leaky vessels and fluid build-up in the central area of the retina, called the macula. The macula is essential for good vision but swelling in the area can distort vision, making basic activities such as driving or reading difficult. If a patient with diabetes begins to experience worsening vision, then treatment should begin promptly, said NIH.
“We now know that in patients with good vision and diabetic macular edema, similar to those enrolled in this trial, it’s an acceptable strategy to closely monitor patients, and initiate treatment only if their vision starts to show signs of decline,” said the study’s lead investigator Carl W. Baker, M.D., an ophthalmologist at Paducah (Kentucky) Retinal Center in the NIH announcement.
Good blood sugar control can ward off diabetic eye disease, and treatments that directly target diabetic macular edema — laser photocoagulation and injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents — reduce or eliminate abnormal leakage from blood vessels.
Visit NIH for details on the the two-year study.
