Eye test may spot diabetes trouble

By STEVEN REINBERG • HEALTHDAY • July 22, 2008 Anew testing device may give doctors early warning of eye disease, especially vision trouble linked to diabetes, researchers say. The device is able to capture images of the eye that reveal metabolic stress and tissue damage, even before the first signs and symptoms of disease appear, says a team at the University of Michigan. The technology measures a phenomenon called flavoprotein autofluorescence (FA), which is thought to be a reliable indicator of eye trouble. "The concept behind measuring FA in the retina is to determine whether there's a metabolic dysfunction in the retinal tissue," explained lead researcher Dr. Victor M. Elner, a professor in the University's Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. "Our objective in performing this study was to determine whether... [read full story]