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Diabetic Retinopathy
Abnormal changes and/or damage to the blood vessels in the eye due to diabetes are known as diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a progressive disease consisting of two stages, nonproliferative and proliferative. Nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy is the first stage of diabetic retinopathy and occurs when the retinal blood vessels swell and leak fluid and small amounts of blood into the eye. Under current practice, physicians do not generally treat patients at the nonproliferative stage of the disease because there is no effective treatment available. If untreated, nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy will likely progress into the more dangerous, proliferative stage of diabetic retinopathy. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy occurs when normal retinal blood vessels become obstructed and new, abnormal blood vessels begin to grow, or proliferate, on the surface of the retina or into the vitreous humor. The growth of these new, abnormal blood vessels creates a dangerous condition because they are weak and grow beyond the supporting structure of the retina. These blood vessels are prone to bleeding and hemorrhage, and can lead to serious problems, including retinal tears and retinal detachment, both of which can severely impair vision and cause blindness. There is no cure for diabetic retinopathy.
The most common treatment for patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy is panretinal laser photocoagulation. In this treatment, a laser makes hundreds of tiny burns to the retina to reduce the growth of the abnormal blood vessels into the vitreous humor. Panretinal laser photocoagulation surgery has been shown to be effective in slowing the progression of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Panretinal laser photocoagulation surgery frequently leads to increased loss of night vision and can make night driving more difficult. Also, after panretinal laser photocoagulation surgery, peripheral, or side vision, is often not as good as before the surgery.
Market Opportunity. Diabetes continues to be a major healthcare problem in the United States and is projected to continue growing rapidly in many regions outside the United States. Eye disease is commonly associated with diabetes, and the risk of blindness to individuals with diabetes is 25 times greater than in the general population. Of the nearly eight million individuals in the United States diagnosed with diabetes, four to six million have some form of diabetic retinopathy. The majority of individuals with diabetic retinopathy are in the nonproliferative stage of the disease. |
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