Genetics of common cause of diabetes-related blindness

If you have diabetes, you have too much sugar in your blood. Over time, this can damage the eyes. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common eye problem in people with diabetes. This involves damage to the tiny blood vessels in the back of the eye (retina). This is a leading cause of blindness in Americans. There are two different types of DR. The proliferative type is more severe than the non-proliferative type but both can cause blindness. Right now, we can’t predict who will develop this problem. Genes play a role in a person’s risk of getting this serious condition. Vanderbilt researchers have found that certain sets of gene changes, called “haplotypes,” are linked to the more severe form of this eye disease. They will also look for genetic differences between patients with this eye disease and diabetic patients without the eye disease. The findings could help us predict which patients are at risk of DR. Doctors may then be able to slow or prevent this condition.