Diabetic Retinopathy: Does 12 Weeks of Intensive Lifestyle Intervention Cause Any Improvement?

Introduction: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a microvascular disorder occurring due to the long-term effects of diabetes mellitus and is the most common cause of severe vision loss in adults. Diabetic retinopathy may lead to vision-threatening damage to the retina, eventually leading to blindness.

Aim: To study the effect of 12 weeks of intensive lifestyle intervention program on diabetic retinopathy using OCT and VEP.

Setting and design: Quasi-experimental study conducted in the Department of Physiology in collaboration with the Department of Ophthalmology at AIIMS, Nagpur.

Materials and methods: 75 patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus with a duration of >5 years were recruited as per the inclusion and exclusion criteria. After taking clinical history and anthropometry parameters, visual evoked potential and optical coherence tomography were done. Then, a 1.5-hour lifestyle intervention session was conducted. Followed by follow-up visits on 15th, 30th, and 45th days, done with biweekly follow-up in between through telephonic/ WhatsApp group.

Results: Modification in dietary pattern, regular exercise, healthy sleep schedule, and stress management showed a reduction in latencies and no major changes in amplitudes, but overall mild improvement was observed in PRVEP and FVEP. Also, in the retinal nerve fiber layer, mild changes along with a reduction in the severity of thickening of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) of both eyes were seen, but no major changes in central macula thickness were observed.

Conclusion: Lifestyle modifications play a crucial role in the improvement of diabetic retinopathy.