1 November Progress In Preventing Eye Disease In Diabetes November 1, 2016 By The Fraternal Order of Eagles Diabetes Research Center 0 A research team lead by Mark A. Greiner, M.D., Assistant Professor, Cornea and External Diseases in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and member of the FOEDRC, at the University of Iowa is doing interesting work in understanding how diabetes affects the Cornea. The cornea is the clear front part of the eye, which needs to be clear for optimal vision. The inner corneal layer, or corneal endothelium, may be particularly vulnerable to damage from diabetes mellitus. At present, we do not fully understand the relationship between diabetes progression and cell damage in this layer, or how this disease influences corneal transplant procedures. Due to the increasing percentage of diabetic individuals in our population, there is a critical need to understand how diabetes impacts the corneal endothelium in individuals seeking treatment for vision loss. Dr. Greiner’s team is testing the theory that diabetic damage to small vessels in the front part of the eye causes harmful proteins to leak into the fluid that bathes the inner corneal cells. This process is believed to reduce the ability of these cells use oxygen to make energy. As diabetes worsens, it is most likely that the risk of improper function and damage to corneal endothelial cells increases. Dr. Greiner’s group has developed an approach for assessing the health of corneal cells by measuring the oxygen that cells consume and protein and gene markers of damage. With this approach they are now testing to understand how diabetes and its progression will impact corneal endothelial cells and cornea transplant tissue. Results of this study will make it possible to identify individuals at greatest risk for corneal complications from diabetes, and poor outcomes after cornea transplantation due to diabetes. This research will lead to better interventions and therapies to preserve or restore endothelial function in diabetic individuals, protect the supply of donor corneal tissue, and improve transplant outcomes. The project will result in improved outcomes of care for patients and reduced health care costs associated with diabetes-related eye damage. Related Articles How Diabetes Harms The Heart Study in mice involving FOEDRC researchers, reveals heart-damaging pathway triggered by insulin, identifies possible drug targets to prevent or treat heart failure. Diabetes is hard on the heart. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with diabetes, and risk for heart failure—where the heart can’t pump enough blood—is two to three times higher in men and up to five times higher in women with diabetes compared to people without diabetes. DRC Researchers Publish Major Breakthrough In Understanding How Diabetes Induces Eye Damage In the retina, diabetes damages nerves before it damages blood vessels. Diabetes is a major risk factor for severe vision loss and blindness. A condition known as retinal diabetic neuropathy causes visual impairment through the degeneration of small nerves (neurons) in light-sensitive tissue called the retina, which lines the back of the eye. American Diabetes Association Supports FOEDRC Researchers DRC Director's Report - January 2018 Three researchers from the FOEDRC received new grants from the American Diabetes Association for groundbreaking research. The ability of our members to receive these competitive awards is truly remarkable and underscores the quality and rigor of the research that is being conducted in the FOEDRC. There are few institutions that received multiple awards in this current round of ADA funding. The awards to Drs. Ling Yang, Rajan Sah and Adam Rauckhorst are summarized below. An M-Health Intervention To Increase Activity Among Patients At Risk For Type 2 Diabetes In 2013, Dr. Philip Polgreen was the recipient of a FOEDRC Pilot Grant for his research entitled, “To evaluate a novel tool using text messages as a mechanism to promote sustained weight loss in patients with obesity and insulin resistance.” This cutting edge science was recently recognized and awarded additional funding by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Technology Developed By DRC Enhances Detection of Eye Disease in Diabetics DRC Director's Report, February 2018 Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a complication of diabetes, is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the developed world, and it is one of the most feared complications for people with diabetes. In the US, at least 25,000 people with diabetes go blind every year from this almost entirely preventable disease, and there are 25 million Americans with diabetes at risk for the disease, projected to increase to 50 million over the next 10 years. There is extensive proof that an annual eye exam to detect the retinopathy early and treat it before the onset of symptoms can prevent almost all permanent visual loss, unfortunately the annual eye exam is expensive and access may be difficult. Technology Developed By DRC Researcher Could Preserve Vision for Diabetes Patients University of Iowa Health Care patients are the first in the nation to have access to a new technology that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose diabetic retinopathy. The technology, known as IDx-DR, is the only medical device authorized by the Food and Drug Administration that uses AI for the autonomous detection of diabetic retinopathy. The device’s algorithm makes the diagnosis based on imaging of the patient’s retina without the need for an eye specialist to interpret the results. Showing 0 Comment Comments are closed.