Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Updated : November 16, 2014 5:45 PM IST
The presenters at American Academy of Optometry's 2014 shored their views on how ophthalmologists can play a key role in combating diabetes epidemic and put an end to eye related complications associated with high blood sugar levels in the body. A. Paul Chous, OD said that according to the CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) around 40% of Americans who are alive might develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime. (Read: Eye care tips for diabetics)
Jeffry D. Gerson, OD says, 'Almost 35 % diabetics are at an increased risk of diabetic retinopathy and of those, 10% might have vision threatening diabetic retinopathy.' Here are few current day measures to deal with ocular problems in diabetics.
Wearable devices: Not many are aware that there are various wearable devices and apps that are known to help in early detection of diabetes related nerve damage. These devices help in time to time monitoring of the person's blood sugar levels thereby aiding in control of diabetes and prevention of eye problems. (Read: Why diabetics need regular eye check-ups)
Diabetes drugs: Dr Paul Chous says, 'Diabetes drugs like Victoza or Byetta and incretins appear to preserve beta cell mass in addition to showing significant weight loss in clinical trials. But, the only problem in using these drugs is that available in the form of injection and are quite expensive. This is not the case with the other commonly available diabetes drugs such as insulin and sulfonylureas but these drugs are reported to cause weight gain, which is a key risk factor of diabetes.' He further added that Invokana, a new class of sodium-glucose co-transport 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors used to treat type 2 diabetes works well in lowering blood sugar levels when used in combination with metformin. (Read: Medicines for diabetes types, side effects, drug interactions)
Dietary supplements: A 67-diabetics interim analysis report showed that the intake of dietary supplements showed a positive impact on hemoglobin A1c in addition to enhancing patients eye health (including color perception and vision). Another significant impact caused by consumption of dietary supplements is a significant reduction in C-reactive protein, a risk factor of cardiovascular disease. A drop of 10% in C-reactive protein was seen in placebo while test group showed 60% reduction in the protein levels in the body. This might form a key factor in early manifestation of diabetic retinopathy and impacting diabetes through mechanisms not related to blood sugar levels.
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