Eye Care & Surgery Center NJ Bladeless LASIK Laser Cataract Surgeon Blog

Friday, July 15, 2011

Lucentis for Diabetic Eye Disease

“Clinical results from the two-year study of the anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug Lucentis were quite positive when used to treat Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), which is a cause of significant vision loss in patients with diabetes”, commented Milton Kahn, M.D. a New Jersey Retinal Specialist at Eye Care & Surgery Center. “Patients with Diabetic Retinopathy in the form of DME who received the drug experienced rapid and sustained improvement in vision compared to those who received a placebo injection.”

Diabetic Macular Edema or DME is the swelling of retina in people with diabetic eye disease called Diabetic Retinopathy, which causes damage to the blood vessels of retina. The DME patients suffer fluid leak from the damaged blood vessel to the central portion of retina, causing it to swell leading to blurred vision, severe vision loss and blindness.

Of the 26 million U.S. people with diabetes, a portion of up to 10 percent tends to develop DME during their lifetime, and up to 75,000 new cases of DME are estimated to develop each year. Currently, DME patients are treated with laser surgery that helps seal the leaky blood vessels to slow the leakage of fluid and reduce the amount of fluid in the retina.

Lucentis is approved for use by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of “Wet” Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) and for Macular Edema following Retinal Vein Occlusion. In 2011, Lucentis was approved for treatment of visual impairment due to DME in Europe.

If you or someone you know suffers from diabetes or is even prediabetic they should have regular eye exams in order to protect their eye health and vision. Significant vision loss from Diabetic Retinopathy can often be prevented by early detection, diagnosis and treatment. Please call Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999 to schedule an appointment.