Eye Center molecular biologist Robert Church, Ph.D., is investigating the causes and prevention of hereditary and age-related cataracts. He has found that certain alterations in DNA, or genetic material, can cause production of an abnormal protein in the lens, leading to a predisposition to forming cataracts. No one knows why diabetes sometimes causes abnormal blood vessels to form in the back of the eye. Retinopathy is strongly linked to duration, so people who have had diabetes for 15 years or more are at strong risk of developing this sight-stealing disease. It affects about 8,000 diabetics each year in this country.
Rigid control means using an insulin pump or injecting insulin more than one time a day.
Once diabetics have retinopathy, gradually instituting tight control will not reverse the disease, but may slow its progression. Retinopathy is preventable and very treatable with continuous medical treatment and a yearly exam by an ophthalmologist. If vision is in jeopardy from retinopathy, Dr. Aaberg may recommend laser photocoagulation surgery, which seals the leaking vessels without an incision. Emory participated in two National Institutes of Health-sponsored studies that showed the procedure can prevent vision loss by reducing abnormal blood vessel growth and decreasing the leakage of retinal vessels. In rare cases, the vitreous becomes clouded with blood, and Dr. Aaberg may recommend cryotherapy, an outpatient procedure during which a freezing probe is applied to shrink the abnormal blood vessels.