Laser Treatment Helps Combat Diabetes-Related Eye Ailment

WASHINGTON —  A laser treatment that stops leakage in the retina of the eye can cut by half a type of vision loss that afflicts hundreds of thousands of diabetics, researchers reported Thursday.

Because of the promising results, eye specialists said additional thousands of diabetics now have become eligible for laser treatment. The specialists recommended that most of those afflicted with the disease get annual eye examinations to see if they need it.

In a study published by the American Medical Assn. in its Archives of Ophthalmology journal, researchers said the treatment marks a significant advance in the treatment of eye problems associated with diabetes.

Important Advance

“It’s a type of advance that is only reported every five or 10 years in ophthalmology,” Dr. Morton F. Goldberg, editor of the journal, said.

A previous national study showed that intense laser light could be used to heat and seal severe bleeding vessels in the eyes of diabetics. The new study, sponsored by the National Eye Institute and involving 23 medical centers, shows that similar treatment can help a less severe vision problem called macular edema.

With macular edema, excess fluids and fats swell a part of the retina called the macula, causing blurred, distorted vision.

The laser treatment, which can be repeated if needed, seals the sources of this swelling, often preventing further vision loss and, in some cases, improving sight, the study said.

An estimated 10 million people in the United States have diabetes, a disease in which the body cannot properly regulate its sugar levels. About 400,000 diabetics have macular edema.