Abstract
Diabetic retinopathy is a common consequence of diabetes mellitus and the leading cause of vision loss in workingage people in the United States. The pathology of this disease is well characterized by microvascular lesions but also includes deficits in visual function, possibly as a consequence of retinal neurodegeneration. Microvasculature changes are clinically detected by fundus examination and used as the primary method of diagnosis, but functional tests may represent alternative endpoints that may be useful in translational research. Components of visual function can be characterized in a variety of different ways including measures of acuity, contrast sensitivity, dark adaptation and a number of electrophysiological parameters of the retina. This review discusses loss of function as measured both in human and animal models of diabetic retinopathy.
Highlights
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the more common complications of diabetes, and is the leading cause of vision loss in working-age adults
Visual acuity (VA) measured by a similar test, the Bailey-Lovie chart, revealed lower VA scores for diabetic patients compared to controls, even in a subgroup of individuals with minimal clinical features of retinopathy and no macular edema [17]
Another approach using different colors of flash stimuli found that the amplitude of the ERG b-wave of S-cones was significantly reduced in patients with diabetes but was not correlated with blood glucose or presence of DR, again suggesting a lack of complete dependence between vascular pathology and deficits in visual function [32]
Summary
Measuring Visual Function in Diabetic Retinopathy: Progress in Basic and Clinical Research. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033, USA 3A.T. Still University, School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona, Mesa AZ 85206, USA 4Departments of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033, USA 5Departments of Neural and Behavioral Science, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey PA 17033, USA
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