The retina is considered swollen when the diameter of the macula exceeds 500 micro meters and treatment with Pycnogenol?® significantly decreased the swellings below that level, as judged by the high resolution ultrasound imaging used in the study. Furthermore, the blood flow velocity in capillaries nourishing the light sensing cells improved. The authors suggest that both effects account for the improved vision of patients. In the control group, retinal edema was not relieved, blood flow velocity remained unaffected and no visual improvements occurred.

In contrast, all 22 subjects in the control group maintained the same diabetic macular swellings as they were diagnosed with at the beginning of the study.

"Pycnogenol?® has been intensively investigated for decades to stop the progression of diabetic retinopathy and help patients to maintain their remaining eye sight," said Dr. Steigerwalt. "Our study suggests that Pycnogenol?® taken in the early stages of retinopathy may enhance retinal blood circulation accompanied by a regression of edema, which favorably improves vision of patients. Pycnogenol?® may be particularly beneficial for preventing this complication in diabetic patients, based on the large number of individuals who were diagnosed when the disease had already significantly progressed."

Over the past decade, numerous studies have been published on Pycnogenol's?® health benefits for people living with diabetes. Most notably, research results on five clinical studies with over 1,000 diabetes patients showed that Pycnogenol?® has the ability to seal leaky capillaries in the eye. This capability impedes the progression of vision loss in patients suffering from diabetic retinopathy.

SOURCE Natural Health Science Inc.