05 December 2010
London, UK
Scientists from Utrecht University have found that diabetics who drink just two glasses of wine a day may be at greater risk of losing their sight.
Their research showed that visual problems increased by 50%in those patients who consumed up to 14 alcoholic drinks a week compared with diabetics who didn’t drink at all.
The team followed 1,239 patients with type 2 diabetes and carried out eye tests.
Over five years, 182 suffered visual problems caused by diabetic retinopathy, which is related to their condition. There was no increase among those who drank alcohol.
However, almost 700 patients saw their overall vision deteriorate.
Among this group, the risk of eye problems increased among drinkers.
"This research suggests that increased alcohol consumption could be associated with increased risk of deterioration of visual acuity in people with type 2 diabetes and Diabetes UK would be interested to see whether future research supports these findings," the Daily Express quoted Victoria King, head of research at Diabetes UK, as saying.
The findings were published in the journal Diabetic Medicine.
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