01/07/2010

Researchers at the Institut de Recerca Hospital Vall d'Hebron (VHIR) described for the first time a deficiency of vitamin C in the eye of diabetic patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy. The shortfall of this important antioxidant in the eye may explain, in part, why there are more eye damage due to oxidative stress and, therefore, why diabetics have more injuries in the retina. The final message of this study provides a further argument for the diabetic patient to understand how essential is that good control of their blood sugar levels and also calls for an adequate intake of vitamin C and a Mediterranean diet. The discovery was published in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, the leading publication in Experimental Ophthalmology. The study was based on close collaboration between the Research Unit of Diabetes and Metabolism at VHIR, who leads tDr. Rafael Simó, and experimental cardiology laboratory of the same institute, led by Dr. David Garcia-Dorado.