Covid and diabetic retinopathy link probed

Research has been launched investigating if people living with diabetic retinopathy are at greater risk of developing complications from Covid-19.

Fight for Sight has partnered with Diabetes UK for the study, which is hoped to assist doctors in identifying people at greatest risk of complications at the time of diagnosis.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh will determine if worse Covid-19 outcomes are experienced because the virus can reach tissues outside the lungs, in this case the eye, due to damaged blood vessel walls.

Dr Miguel O Bernabeu, study co-ordinator at the Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, said: ‘If the results support our hypothesis, we will be in a position to design a prospective study to validate these findings and advance towards clinical adoption within one year.’