Drug May Fight Vision Loss For Diabetics

Vision loss can be a nasty side effect of diabetes, and up until now the only way for sufferers of the disease to avoid it was to strictly control blood sugar.

 

That’s about to change as an experimental drug called ruboxistaurin, which reduced the risk of moderate vision loss by 41 per cent in trials, has just been approved for use in the U.S.

 

It’ll be sold under the brand name Arxxant, and could be headed for Canadian drug store shelves soon if Health Canada approves it for use.

 

“It’s a completely new approach that can help slow down loss of vision,” said Dr. Lloyd Paul Aiello, the study’s lead investigator.

 

“Many people fear blindness more than death and this gives another chance to prevent or delay blindness from the disease.”

 

Diabetes affects the retina by causing blood vessels in the retina to leak, harming vision. In later stages of so-called diabetic retinopathy, fragile new blood vessels that are especially prone to leaking form in the back of the eye.

 

Dexter Waldron knows this first hand, and learned about his deteriorating condition at the worst possible time – while he was driving. 

 

“I couldn’t see the lights,” Waldron recalls. “Somebody had to (honk at) me to make me realize I’m blocking traffic. When I went to the doctor’s, the doctor said to me I shouldn’t drive any more.”

 

But doctors, like Waldron, hope things are finally changing for the better.

Experts believe Arxxant could, in some circumstances, replace the current treatment option for the disease – laser therapy.

 

However, while the drug helped reduce vision loss in patients in early stages of diabetic retinopathy, it didn’t prevent progression of the disease in the more serious, advanced cases.

 

Two studies were conducted on the drug over three years, involving 813 patients who received either ruboxistaurin or a placebo.

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