Preserving eyesight

Diabetes can also damage the eyes. Sandrine Zweifel at the Department of Ophthalmology is researching a way of treating this problem without side-effects.

I would like more information →

Doris Müller* has been diabetic for 15 years. Her condition is being well treated, but as is the case for around one-third of all diabetics, it has resulted in damage to the small blood vessels in the retina. This often leads to so-called macular edema, where swelling occurs in the middle of the retina, preventing patients from being able to see sharply. A treatment that has proven its worth is anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy. This involves injecting a drug into the eye, which in many cases reduces the swelling.

Having also developed macular edema, Doris Müller is undergoing treatment at the University Hospital Zurich (USZ) Department of Ophthalmology. This includes having her intraocular pressure regularly measured. Studies have shown that for some patients the pressure increases in the course of anti-VEGF therapy. In the long run this can prevent sufficient circulation of blood through the eye and result in damage to the optic nerve. “Not all patients are at risk. So we wanted to find out whether there are additional risk factors,” explains Sandrine Zweifel, Senior Attending Physician at the USZ Department of Ophthalmology.

She is heading a study on this involving around 60 people. Thanks to a new, low-impact examination method she can look at the background of the eyes in detail and see whether there is sufficient circulation. She aims to find out the connection between circulation and intraocular pressure and work out which patients need medication to reduce the pressure during anti-VEGF therapy. Her research will make sure that diabetics can receive treatment for their macular edema without the risk of side-effects.

Sandrine Zweifel’s work is supported by a donation from the Iten Kohaut Stiftung to the USZ Foundation. Fortunately, Doris Müller’s closely monitored intraocular pressure hasn’t increased – and thanks to the treatment her eyesight has improved.

*anonymized

Finanzierung 60%

Biomedical Image Computing, ETH Zurich

Iten-Kohaut Foundation