Treating Early Stage Diabetic Retinopathy

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Trial end date: 2028-12-31
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

To determine if levodopa will slow the appearance of blood vessel changes in the eyes of patients with diabetes. Treatment will be started in patients with diabetes show delays in the electrical activity of the retina when measured non-invasively with a electroretinogram.

• Phase: Early Phase 1
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: No

Details

• Lead Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
• Collaborator: Emory University
• Treatments: Carbidopa, levodopa drug combination; Levodopa

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• HbA1c 8-12%

• Diabetic patients with no retinopathy as screened with teleretinal imaging

• Diabetic patients with microaneurysms as detected with fundus teleretinal screening

• ERG oscillatory potential delays in response to dim flash stimuli

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with pituitary tumor, psychosis, Parkinson's disease

• Patients with confounding ocular disease (visually significant cataract, glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa)

• Patients with cognitive deficits (score of 24 or less on the Montreal Cognitive

• Assessment-MOCA

• No anti-VEGF or steroid treatments within the last 12 months

• Pregnancy