Media Release
17 November 2009
1
New screening tool to predict development of type 1 and 2 diabetes
One day, a visit to an eye doctor could reveal much more than the health of your eyes.
A pioneering study led by researchers at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) is the first to
establish a consistent link between changes in the retina at the back of the eye and an increased risk of
type 1 and 2 diabetes.
While past research has shown that abnormalities in the retina can predict cardiovascular disease, the
precise changes that act as risk markers for diabetes have been unclear.
PhD student Dr Tan Nguyen used video imaging technology to monitor the changes that occur in the
retina after being exposed to the flashes from a flicker light.
“When healthy patients were exposed to the light flashes, the blood vessels in their retina became dilated.
But in diabetic patients, there was a significant reduction in blood vessel dilation in response to the light
stimulus,” Dr Nguyen said.
“Our results also indicate that a reduced response to light stimulus could be a marker of endothelial
dysfunction - the build up of fatty materials on the artery walls that can lead to heart disease and stroke”.
Dr Nguyen predicts that in the future, medical practitioners will use retinal scans to identify diabetes and
coronary heart disease years before a patient’s symptoms can be detected using traditional diagnostic
techniques, such as an angiogram.
“If we can detect retinal changes prior to the development of a disease, we can forewarn patients of the
likelihood they will develop diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” Dr Nguyen said.
“Armed with this knowledge, we hope that high risk patients will modify lifestyle factors such as diet and
exercise to help prevent development of diseases such as diabetes.”
Researchers recruited 200 people with diabetes and more than 100 people without diabetes to participate
in the study.
Diabetes is a major epidemic in Australia. Approximately 1.7 million Australians, or roughly 8% of the
population, are affected by the disease with a further 275 Australians developing diabetes each day.
CERA conducts research into the leading causes of vision loss. It incorporates the Department of
Ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne and is located at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.
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For media enquires or to arrange an interview with Dr Tan Nguyen contact:
Lauren Metcalfe
(BH) 03 9929 8424
(MOB) 0409 255 980
laurenem@unimelb.edu.au
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