Visual Dysfunction in Diabetes

Although diabetic retinopathy (DR) is clinically diagnosed as a vascular disease, many studies find retinal neuronal and visual dysfunction before the onset of vascular DR. This suggests that DR should be viewed as a neurovascular disease. Prior to the onset of DR, human patients have compromised electroretinograms that indicate a disruption of normal function, particularly in the inner retina. They also exhibit reduced contrast sensitivity. These early changes, especially those due to dysfunction in the inner retina, are also seen in rodent models of diabetes in the early stages of the disease. Rodent models of diabetes exhibit several neuronal mechanisms, such as reduced evoked GABA release, increased excitatory glutamate signaling, and reduced dopamine signaling, that suggest specific neuronal deficits. This suggests that understanding neuronal deficits may lead to early diabetes treatments to ameliorate neuronal dysfunction.

Automated summary

Although diabetic retinopathy (DR) is clinically diagnosed as a vascular disease, studies have found that retinal neuronal and visual dysfunction occur before the onset of vascular DR. These early changes in neuronal function, particularly in the inner retina, are also observed in rodent models of diabetes. Understanding these neuronal deficits may lead to early treatments for diabetes to improve neuronal dysfunction.