Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28408138›Full record

ReviewVision research2017

Diabetic retinopathy is a neurodegenerative disorder.

Stephanie K Lynch, Michael D Abràmoff

Open access · greenAbstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Vision research, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 107 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
107citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
14.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

107 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 188 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and diabetic retinopathy: a systematic review of diabetic retinopathy outcomes.Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv fur klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie · 2026
    Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Observational
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Review
  15. Diabetic retinopathy and Alzheimer's disease: Convergence of the unfolded protein response in neurodegeneration.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025
    Review
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Observational
  19. Article
  20. Article

47 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Stephanie K LynchDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Michael D AbràmoffDepartment of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; Department of Veterans Affairs, 601 US-6, Iowa City, IA 52246, USA. Electronic address: michael-abramoff@uiowa.edu.
University of Iowa · US

Funding

Retinal Therapy Guided by 3-D OCT Image AnalysisR01EY019112 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI ABRAMOFF, MICHAEL DAVID, SONKA, MILAN · 2010 to 2014
$2.6M
Three-dimensional structure-function relationships in glaucoma from SD-OCTR01EY018853 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI ABRAMOFF, MICHAEL DAVID, KWON, YOUNG H. · 2009 to 2016
$2.6M
Low-cost, portable, computer assisted imaging for diabe*R01EY017066 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF IOWA · PI ABRAMOFF, MICHAEL DAVID · 2005 to 2008
$1.3M
NEI NIH HHS R01 EY017066NEI NIH HHS R01 EY018853NEI NIH HHS R01 EY019112
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Since 1875, controversy has ensued over whether ocular diabetic complications are primarily vasculopathic or neuropathic in nature. Here, we discuss the historical context by which diabetic retinopathy (DR) came to be considered a primary vasculopathy, in contrast to more recent data suggesting the importance of diabetic retinal neurodegeneration (DRN) as the primary manifestation of ocular diabetic damage. Unsurprisingly, DRN parallels other diabetic complications related to neuropathy. In general, there are three possible relationships between microvascular DR and DRN: i) microvasculopathy causes neurodegeneration; ii) neurodegeneration causes microvasculopathy or iii) they are mutually independent. The authors' group has recently produced experimental data showing that DRN precedes even the earliest manifestations of DR microvasculopathy. In combination with earlier studies showing that focal implicit time delays predicted future development of DR microvasculopathy in the same location, relationships i) and iii) are unlikely. As such, ii) is the most likely relationship: DRN is a cause of DR. Granted, additional studies are needed to confirm this hypothesis and elucidate the mechanism of diabetes-induced neurodegeneration. We conclude this review by proposing experimental approaches to test the hypothesis that DRN causes DR. If confirmed, this new paradigm may lead to earlier detection of ocular diabetic damage and earlier treatment of early DR, thereby preventing visual loss in people with diabetes.

Indexed as

Diabetic RetinopathyHumansNerve FibersNeurodegenerative DiseasesRetinal Ganglion CellsRetinal NeuronsDiabetesDiabetic retinopathyGanglion cell layerHistologyNerve fiber layerNeuropathyOCTRetinaRetinal diabetic neurodegeneration

Identifiers

PMID28408138
PMCPMC5659971
OpenAlexW2609199661

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.