Long-Term Care Survey Alert
NIGHTLIGHTS COULD PREVENT DIABETIC BLINDNESS
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The simple act of leaving a light on may save some diabetics' eyesight, a new study suggests. Inability to regulate oxygen in the retina during the hours of darkness may be the cause of diabetic retinopathy, a condition that can lead to blindness, according to a study published in the British medical journal The Lancet. The study found that breathing pure oxygen reversed the lack of retinal oxygen in the eyes of the research participants. The researchers postulated that, the eye's process of adapting to the dark requires exceptionally high oxygen consumption. Thus, "a modified cycle of night-time illumination during sleep" might help reduce oxygen depletion in the retina. The study's authors acknowledge the preliminary nature of their findings, however, recommending further research.
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