Introduction: Macular edema is
the main cause of low vision in diabetic patients. Laser photocoagulation continues
to be the treatment of choice in conjunction with the use of steroids and anti-angiogenics,
but these treatments include possible ocular complications. The nutritional supplement
Alzer (whose primary active ingredient is Ginkgo
biloba, a powerful antioxidant that acts on vascular factors and oxidative damage,
which are two of the mechanisms implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic macular
edema), which has been used on other non-diabetic macular conditions, along with
the Diamel nutritional supplement has been shown to be effective on glycemic control
and could represent a treatment alternative for mild to moderate macular edema by
reducing the thickness of the macular retina and preventing the progression of other
more advanced clinical presentations that are harder to treat. Objective: Identify
the effect of Alzer along with Diamel in reduction of the thickness of the macular
retina among patients with mild to moderate diabetic macular edema. Materials
and Methods: A phase II double-blind clinical trial was conducted in 64 patients
with non-severe diabetic macular edema over the course of non-proliferative diabetic
retinopathy, who attended the ophthalmology service of the Institute of Endocrinology
of Havana from January 2016 to December 2016. The treatment was randomly assigned
to two groups: one received Alzer plus Diamel (n=32) and the other group received Alzer placebo + Diamel
placebo (n=
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