The role of topical taurine ( Bestoxol ) drops in improving vision in patients with diabetic retinopathy"

Abstract

Diabetic retinopathy is not only the major cause of blindness in people with diabetes, but also in working-age adults in the Western world. There are 2 types of diabetic retinopathy: macular edema and degeneration, caused by leaky vessels in the retina; and non-proliferative leading to proliferative retinopathy, caused by the formation of new vessels in ischemic retinal vessels (1 ). Taurine is believed to play a role in treating a number of conditions, including congestive heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, and retinal damage(2). Dietary taurine supplements used to improve the retinal functions, while topical taurine drops (Bestoxol) role in the management of diabetic retinopathy is not well established (2). The aim of this study was to assess the role of topical taurine (Bestoxol) drops in improving vision in patient with diabetic retinopathy. Cross section, randomly selected study involved (100) patients with diabetic retinopathy with different stages, the ophthalmological examination was done including visual acuity assessment pre and post topical BESTOXOL drops usage for one month. The statistical analysis was done with SPSS version 11. The results of study showed that high percentage (64%) of the selected sample mentioned an improvement in the quality of vision on one month usage of topical Bestoxol and most of them describe this improvement as an increasing field of vision. Visual acuity assessment determined that 41% of patients have an improvement in the vision at least one line of Snellens chart, and 23% of patients have different levels of retinal improvement. This study concluded that topical BESTOXOL, which is topical taurine, is a useful drug to be used in diabetic retinopathy patients.