new way of diagnosing retinopathy

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This article originally posted 23 March, 2011 and appeared in

<http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/topics/complications-and-co-morbidities>

Complications and Co-morbidities,

<http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/diabetes-in-control-newsletters/prevention

> Prevention,

<http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/diabetes-in-control-newsletters/aging-and-

diabetes> Aging and Diabetes,

<http://www.diabetesincontrol.com/diabetes-in-control-newsletters/566> Issue

566

New Way to Diagnose Retinopathy

An accidental discovery by an Australian eye expert may hold the key to

better management of people with diabetes....

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Efron, a professor at the Queensland University of Technology's

School of Optometry, made the discovery after using a special microscope,

called a corneal confocal microscope, which he thought would help him in his

research into how contact lenses affect the eye.

Instead, its extreme magnification allowed Efron to see fine nerves in the

cornea that had never been seen before.

Efron, who has Type 2 diabetes, knew that one of the serious consequences of

the disease is diabetic neuropathy -- a condition that causes nerve damage

and can result in ulcers and amputations. It affects about half of diabetics

in varying degrees.

Diabetic neuropathy is assessed now by sensory tests or tissue biopsies.

The eye is a transparent structure and there is nowhere else in the body

where you can look directly at nerves.

A five-year study is now under way to work out if the technology can be used

to monitor nerve degeneration over time.

Efron hopes his discoveries will lead to early testing for diabetic

neuropathy that will motivate sufferers to better manage their disease.

Testing could be carried out at the same time as diabetes patients are

tested for other eye problems caused by the disease.

He suggested it could be in use in three to five years. The test has been

used to monitor nerve regeneration in patients who have undergone kidney and

pancreas transplants, and it could help track the effects of new treatments.

The findings were presented to the Asia Pacific Academy of Opthamology

Congress in Sydney, March 2011.