Retinopathy could be treated with eyelets, a potential great advance!

Scientists at the Vall d'Hebron hospital in Barcelona have demonstrated for the first time in humans that the application of neuroprotective columates is useful for treating diabetic retinopathy, since they stop the death of retina neurons.

As explained by the head of the Research Group in Diabetes and Metabolism of Vall d'Hebron Institute of Research (VHIR), Rafael Simó, who has led the investigation, the discovery opens the door to change the therapeutic strategy in the initial stadiums of theDiabetic retinopathy, a pathology that suffers from one in three diabetic patients and that is the main cause of blindness.

The clinical essay, whose results publishes the magazine 'Diabetes' and has had a budget of 6 million euros of the 7th Framework Program of the European Union, has had the participation of 17 hospitals, universities and research centers from 8 countriesEuropeans and biopharmaceuticals BCN peptides.

The main objective of the study was to evaluate whether the topical administration of two neuroprotective medications could prevent or stop retinal neurodegeneration in type 2 diabetic patients.

450 patients from between 45 and 75 years participated with diabetes for 5 or more years who were randomly assigned in three columian treatment groups: placebo, brimonidine and somatostatin, and were followed for two years.

The researchers showed that "in those patients with retinal neurodisfunction, columia with neuroprotective agents are effective in stopping the progression of neurodegeneration, that is, the death of retina neurons," Simó detailed.

Following this discovery, the researcher has underlined "the importance of the early detection of retinal neurodeneration in patients with type 2 diabetes for which neuroprotective treatment with columia could be beneficial."

The Diabetes and Metabolism Research Group of the VHIR is now working on producing dual drugs, at the same time neuroprotectors and vascular protectors, which could stabilize the blood vessels of the eye and avoid the vascular affectation caused by diabetes.