Abstract
Diabetes Mellitus (DM, Type I and II included) are prevalent metabolic disorders that cause high blood sugar levels over an extended period of time due to unhealthy lifestyle modifications. Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a complication that causes abnormalities in the retina to be seen as early as 10 years after the onset of DM or even earlier. The DR is main cause of visual impairment in patients with DM. Considering the limitations of standard treatments for DR there is a need for complementary medicine. Panchakarma has been documented to be effective in controlling DM. This article explores the role of diet and panchakarma in three different patients suffering with DR. The patients underwent eye assessment and evaluation of the various risk factors for DR followed by study therapy. The eye evaluations post study therapy show improvement in near vision and visual acuity in both eyes of the three patients described herein. In these patients, ophthalmoscopy confirmed that the exudates and haemorrhages were decreased post-treatment. We report no side effects or adverse events related to study therapy in the concerned patients. Hence, DR may be prevented by strict glycemic control and annual dilated eye examination by an ophthalmologist. Therefore, we conclude positive effect of study therapy for DM patients with DR. Studies with larger sample size and follow up are warranted to generalize this finding.
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