By Christina Orlovsky, contributor
With diabetes and pre-diabetes cases on the rise, it’s no surprise that complications associated with the chronic disease are also increasing. Now, a simple new screening device may be the vision of the future for preventing one of the most serious complications: blindness.
A new screening test can detect tissue damage associated with diabetes as many as 10 to 15 years before other non-invasive clinical methods.
“The course of diabetes-induced retinal cell death occurs slowly over many years, but as it progresses there is irreversible damage, which if not detected and treated early can lead to diabetic retinopathy and blindness,” explained Victor Elner, MD, Ph.D., Ravitz Foundation professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences and a professor in the department of pathology at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Diabetes mellitus is the leading cause for legal blindness in working age adults in the United States as these patients have a five times greater risk for blindness than non-diabetics.”
Recognizing the need for early detection of diabetes in order to preserve vision, Elner and Howard Petty, Ph.D., a fellow professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences and a professor of microbiology and immunology at the UM Kellogg Eye Center, devised a new screening test that has the ability to detect metabolic stress and tissue damage associated with diabetes as many as 10 to 15 years before other non-invasive clinical methods could detect signs of diabetes.
“The Centers for Disease Control recognize the tremendous health care burden due to diabetes and promote early detection and treatment as the best means to reduce costs and prevent debilitating complications, which can lead to blindness and death,” he said.
“Despite this, patients do not get screened regularly for diabetes due to the cumbersome nature of existing screening methods, as they are invasive, require fasting and involve blood draws. In fact, there are currently six million Americans with undiagnosed diabetes and over 50 million with pre-diabetes,” he continued. “Patients often go for testing only after diabetic complications are seen by a doctor in clinic, by which time over 30 percent of cells in the eye and other organs may have already died.”
Elner added that his and Petty’s screening method, which the two termed Retinal Metabolic Analysis (RMA™), is the right tool for effective, non-invasive early detection. It costs as little as $20, as compared to $120 for standard blood glucose testing, and does not require fasting or blood draws.
“As the device is non-invasive, rapid and simple to use, we believe patients will be motivated to undergo regular screening,” he said. “Essentially, the patient just sits in front of the instrument, the device is focused in on the eye, a specialized photograph is taken, and results are immediately available.”
If the RMA screening detects metabolic changes, patients would undergo further testing to determine a definite link to diabetes and could take early steps to manage the disease and prevent further complications.
While the device still requires further testing and patenting, Elner and Petty have formed a company called OcuSciences, Inc., to promote Retinal Metabolic Analysis. Elner sees the potential of the device as widespread and extremely effective in combating one of the most serious complications of diabetes.
“We envision that our device will become a standard part of any primary eye care provider exam,” he concluded. “For those patients with a diagnosed disease that affects the retina, we believe our technology has the potential to monitor and assess disease severity and mitigation by treatment. Eventually, this technology could also be available at your general practitioner’s office.”
For more information, visit the OcuSciences Web site.
© 2008. AMN Healthcare, Inc. All Rights Reserved.