Diabetics With High Cholesterol Levels May Have Vision Problems

Researchers at Harvard University found that individuals who had the highest levels of low density lipoprotein (LDL, the “bad” cholesterol) were twice as likely to develop macular edema than individuals with lower levels of LDL. Macular edema is a visual disturbance caused by the accumulation of water in the macula of the eye. This condition is the most common cause of blindness in diabetics. Although vision loss is more common in the diabetic population than in other patients, the reason for this is not clear. This study is the first piece of research that demonstrates a possible link between high glucose levels and macular edema.

Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the pancreas either fails to produce insulin, or decreases its production of insulin. As a result of this condition, cells do not receive the sugar they need to produce energy for the body to carry out its normal biological and chemical processes. Although high blood sugar levels are the most frequently watched component on the blood profile, the diabetic patient should also closely follow their blood lipid levels as well, since diabetics are at an increased risk of certain complications, such as poor circulation and heart disease.

Dr. Debra A. Schaumberg of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and colleagues analyzed the relationship between blood glucose levels and lipid profiles of over 1400 diabetic patients. The researchers found that patients who had the highest total-to-HDL cholesterol ratios were almost four times as likely to develop macular edema than those patients with normal total-to-HDL cholesterol ratios. Additionally, diabetic patients with high levels of LDL were twice as likely to develop macular edema than those with normal LDL levels. When blood sugar levels were compared with the lipid levels, the correlation of macular edema became weaker, but was still significant. A correlation between diabetic retinopathy, another cause of vision loss in diabetics, and high cholesterol levels could not be identified in this experiment. Although these results establish only a preliminary cause of macular edema, they may change the dietary recommendations made to diabetics in order to prevent vision loss in these patients.