An eye drop to combat vision loss in diabetics has been developed following a 20-year study in Brazil.
Around 40% of diabetes patients experience retinal complications, say researchers who proved the efficacy of a formula to prevent vision loss by researching the attack of nerve cells and blood supply in the eye tissue of mice.
If human trails prove successful, the drops could replace laser photocoagulation, intravitreal injections and surgery for the treatment of diabetic retinopathy. Lead researcher Jacqueline Mendonça Lopes de Faria said, "The great advantage of this finding is that it is not invasive. Being topical does not imply risk and creates a barrier against neurodegenerative changes that affects diabetics.”
The Unicamp study team expects this technology may also eventually be used to treat other eye conditions, such as glaucoma.
