PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Michael Andrew Williams
AU  - Usha Chakravarthy
TI  - Evidence underlying the clinical management of diabetic macular oedema
AID  - 10.7861/clinmedicine.13-4-353
DP  - 2013 Aug 01
TA  - Clinical Medicine
PG  - 353--357
VI  - 13
IP  - 4
4099  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/13/4/353.short
4100  - http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/13/4/353.full
SO  - Clin Med2013 Aug 01; 13
AB  - Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the leading cause of visual loss in the developed world in those of working age, and its prevalence is predicted to double by 2025. The management of diabetic retinopathy has traditionally relied on screening, on laser treatment delivered by ophthalmologists, and on optimising blood glucose and blood pressure. Recent evidence suggests that the role of systemic factors is more complex than originally thought, and that drugs such as ACE inhibitors, fibrates and glitazones may all influence the course of diabetic macular oedema. Antagonism of vascular endothelial growth factor offers a new therapeutic avenue that may transform the management of diabetic macular oedema. Several other therapeutic options are under investigation and development, including aminoguanidine, sorbinol, ruboxistaurin and autologous stem cell transfusion.