J Korean Ophthalmol Soc.  1996 Jul;37(7):1154-1160.

Effect of Hypolipidemic drug on Diabetic Retinopathy

• Seo MS
• Yang KJ
• Park YG

Abstract

The effect of improving hypercholesterolemia on non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy have been evaluated in 18 patients, 34 eyes, with noninsulindependent diabetes mellitus. The patient group took 20mg of lovastatin daily for one month and after then 40mg of lovastatin daily for two months. The control group, 14 eyes, took placebo for 3 months. After follow-up of 6 months, the serum cholesterol concentration was decreased by 21% (from 301.35 +/- 38.48 to 232.97 +/- 19.73mg/dl). The visual contrast sensitivity funtion was improved significantly on the statistics (p=0.005) as compared with the control group. The corrected visual acuity was improved in 11 eyes(32.4%) and retinal lesion was decreased in 10 eyes (29.4%). But they were statistically insignificant. This result suggests lowering the serum cholesterol may make a positive effect on non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy of noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with hypercholesterolemia by means of improving visual contrast sensitivity function.

Keyword

Cholesterol; Contrast sensitivity; Diadetic retinopathy

MeSH Terms

Cholesterol
Contrast Sensitivity
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
Diabetic Retinopathy*
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Hypercholesterolemia
Lovastatin
Retinaldehyde
Visual Acuity
Cholesterol
Lovastatin
Retinaldehyde