A DIABETES MEDICATION SLASHES THE RISK OF VISION ISSUES IN PATIENTS

Metformin, most common drug used to stabilise blood sugar levels in diabetic patients also helps in preventing eye disease, the researchers from Taiwan found this.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness among people of age 50 and above. The new study conducted on type 2 diabetes patients found that the metformin users had about a 50 per cent lower risk of losing vision. The medication suppresses inflammation, and oxidative stress factors are known to contribute to agerelated macular degeneration, as well as diabetes.

‘Our study is the first to reveal the protective effect of metformin on the development of AMD,’ the lead investigator, Yu-Yen Chen, MD, from Taichung Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan, said in a statement. "While more study is required to determine just how metformin protects against the development of AMD, this is an exciting development for patients at risk.’

According to the investigators, this research shows the use of metformin can protect against the future development of AMD. However, more studies are needed to understand the effects further, wherein the future investigations should focus on determining what mechanism of action of metformin lowers the risk of developing AMD in type 2 diabetic patients that are taking the medication.