Aston hopes to give insight into diabetes

UK researchers are to plot the effects of the daily cycle of blood sugar levels on the vision of diabetic patients via detailed eye examinations. The research, which is the first of its kind in the world, will take place at Aston University's new £10m Academy of Life Sciences. The eye exam-led research will help gain a vital understanding of how the disease causes vision difficulties in diabetics, and more specifically, its effects on the retinal tissue over the course of the day. With diabetes acknowledged to be a major cause of vision loss and blindness in this country, it is hoped the study will lead to a greater understanding of visual problems experienced by diabetics. The study has been organised by Helena Workman, a PhD research optometrist at the university. She said: 'Our hope is that our research will help to provide a unique insight into diabetes as a whole and the way in which blood sugar control may affect the vision of our diabetic population in their daily lives.' The research team hopes a large number of diabetics will volunteer to take part in a series of six short vision assessments over a period of 12 hours. The study will utilise the Academy's new 'state-of-the-art' facility for academic research and private medical care. The newly opened site, the only facility of its kind in Europe, includes a centre of excellence for eye research, diagnosis and surgery. It will provide equipment including a camera designed to photograph the retina and measure the thickness of retinal tissue. An Aston spokesman said: 'Most hospitals and clinics do not have access to this equipment, thus indicating the importance and uniqueness of the research.'