WEDNESDAY, May 10, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- Anti-cholesterol statin drugs help improve blood circulation in the retina and reduce the risk of diabetic retinopathy and other eye diseases, a new study suggests.
The Japanese study included 12 healthy men, average age 21 years, who received either a daily 20-milligram dose of the statin drug simvastatin (Zocor) or a placebo for seven days. The blood flow in the men's retinal arteries was measured at the start of the study, 90 minutes after taking the drug the first day, and at the end of the seven days of treatment.
The researchers also checked the pressure inside the men's eyeballs (intraocular pressure).
This week-long treatment regimen was repeated again 28 days after the end of the first phase of the study.
The result: Blood flow and speed were significantly increased in men who took the statin for seven days, although the size of the retinal blood vessels didn't change. Intraocular pressure was reduced 90 minutes after taking the statin and after seven days of taking the drug.
"Although the findings in the present study are obtained from healthy men whose physiological response to simvastatin may be different from that of patients with diabetes, the increased retinal blood flow associated with treatment with simvastatin may be a potential therapy for diabetic retinopathy," the study authors wrote in the May issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology.
Diabetic retinopathy occurs when poorly controlled diabetes results in damage to the eyes, which can eventually lead to blindness. Recent research has linked diabetic retinopathy to reduced blood flow in the eyes.
More information
The U.S. National Eye Institute has more about diabetic retinopathy.
