«We were surprised to find so many similarities between these two diseases, but most striking was that some of these common signatures are shared with other conditions
like diabetic retinopathy and age - related macular degeneration,» said William A. Beltran, senior author on the study, an associate professor of ophthalmology in Penn Vet's Department of Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine and director of the Division of Experimental Retinal Therapies.
«Our analysis suggests treatment of the retina with a large number of very small laser burns could prevent this «domino -
like» progressive loss of small retinal blood vessels and prevent elevation of VEGF and the major complications of
diabetic retinopathy,» Gast said.