01.06.10
A recent study published in the Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics revealed that Pycnogenol, French maritime pine bark extract from Natural Health Science, improves microcirculation, retinal edema and visual acuity in the early stages of diabetic retinopathy.
The randomized, controlled study, conducted by G D’Annunzio University in Italy, investigated a total of 46 diabetic patients over a period of three months. The Pycnogenol treatment group consisted of 24 patients, with 22 patients placed in a placebo treatment group. Patients had early stage retinopathy characterized by capillaries in the eye leaking fluid into the retina causing swellings.
Subjects were treated with three 50 mg Pycnogenol tablets (total 150 mg of Pycnogenol) or placebo tablets in the morning after breakfast over a period of three months. Following treatment with Pycnogenol, the major positive observation of this study was visual improvement, which was subjectively perceived by 18 out of 24 patients in the Pycnogenol group. Testing of visual acuity using the Snellen Chart (the standard eye chart used by eye care professionals to measure visual acuity) showed a significant improvement from baseline 14/20 to 17/20 after two months of treatment with Pycnogenol. Pycnogenol also significantly decreased the swelling of the retina, 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. For further information: www.pycnogenol.com
The randomized, controlled study, conducted by G D’Annunzio University in Italy, investigated a total of 46 diabetic patients over a period of three months. The Pycnogenol treatment group consisted of 24 patients, with 22 patients placed in a placebo treatment group. Patients had early stage retinopathy characterized by capillaries in the eye leaking fluid into the retina causing swellings.
Subjects were treated with three 50 mg Pycnogenol tablets (total 150 mg of Pycnogenol) or placebo tablets in the morning after breakfast over a period of three months. Following treatment with Pycnogenol, the major positive observation of this study was visual improvement, which was subjectively perceived by 18 out of 24 patients in the Pycnogenol group. Testing of visual acuity using the Snellen Chart (the standard eye chart used by eye care professionals to measure visual acuity) showed a significant improvement from baseline 14/20 to 17/20 after two months of treatment with Pycnogenol. Pycnogenol also significantly decreased the swelling of the retina, 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. For further information: www.pycnogenol.com