- FRIDAY, Nov. 14 (HealthDay News) — Maintaining good control over
one's blood sugar levels can help people with type 1 diabetes better avoid
retinopathy, a serious disorder that damages the eye's retina, researchers
say.

The findings come from a 25-year study that confirms prior large
studies. The findings were published in the November issue of
Ophthalmology.

The Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy also found
that being male, having higher blood pressure, having protein in urine (a
manifestation of diabetic kidney disease) and a greater body mass index
also increased one's risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.

Maintaining glycemic control, based on blood levels of glycosylated
hemoglobin A1 — a measure of average blood sugar — helped improve the
condition in those that had it as well, regardless of how long the patient
had type 1 diabetes or how far along the diabetic retinopathy was at the
start of the study.

The almost 1,000 study participants had all been diagnosed with type 1
diabetes before age 30, and were on insulin to combat it. All were
initially evaluated between 1980 and 1982, and were followed up on
periodically over 25 years. About half completed the entire study.

More information

The National Eye Institute has more about diabetic retinopathy.