Diabetes and blindness

1995/09/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Anatomia/Fisiologia

Anyone who is diabetic will tell you that there is a direct relationship between both factors. So far, vision loss has been considered an intrinsic feature of diabetes and, although confirmed, the study in New York has revealed other reasons.

Scientists at the Albert Einstein Institute have been concerned about the problem of medicine. At the request of health institutions in the United States, last year began to analyze the origin of the loss of vision suffered by diabetics and the results of the study have been released. The most important thing is to say that glucose directly influences cell proliferation.

Researchers say that blindness is the increase in blood vessels that occur in the retinas. Its origin is very varied. By dying the nerve cells and staying in the retina a cellular structure is created that, in addition to damaging the basic functions, hinders vision. However, it was necessary to clarify why only (or to a greater extent) it happens to diabetics. Laboratory sessions with rats have confirmed that blood with excess glucose has a higher capacity for cell proliferation.