ArticleEye and vision (London, England)2019
Improving diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy with a medical food containing L-methylfolate: a preliminary report.
Article in Eye and vision (London, England), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Blood Based Vascular Marker Responses to OcufolinBiomarker insights · 2025Article
- The Association Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Nondiabetic Retinopathy in the American Population: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2008.BioMed research international · 2025Article
- Review
- The emerging role of medical foods and therapeutic potential of medical food-derived exosomes.Nanoscale advances · 2023Review
- Effects of Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2023Article
- Impact of Arterial Hypertension on the Eye: A Review of the Pathogenesis, Diagnostic Methods, and Treatment of Hypertensive Retinopathy.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2022Review
- Prevalence and risk factors of diabetic retinopathy among Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes in a suburb of Shanghai, China.PloS one · 2022Article
- Improved Retinal Microcirculation in Mild Diabetic Retinopathy Patients Carrying MTHFR Polymorphisms Who Received the Medical Food, OcufolinClinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2022Article
- Treatment of Glaucoma Patients with Flammer Syndrome.Journal of clinical medicine · 2021Review
- Effects of Ocufolin on retinal microvasculature in patients with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy carrying polymorphisms of the MTHFR gene.BMJ open diabetes research & care · 2021Article
- Improved conjunctival microcirculation in diabetic retinopathy patients with MTHFR polymorphisms after Ocufolin™ Administration.Microvascular research · 2020Article
- Nutritional and medical food therapies for diabetic retinopathy.Eye and vision (London, England) · 2020Review
- Case series of retinal vein occlusions showing early recovery using oral l-methylfolate.Therapeutic advances in ophthalmologyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHomocysteine and vitamin D may play a role in the development of diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension. Supplementing food with L-methylfolate and vitamin D theoretically may improve diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy, however, the outcome of these nutritional approaches has not been fully examined. A retrospective case review was done of cases of retinopathy reversal in patients on Ocufolin™ and a similar nonprescription multivitamin, Eyefolate™. In this study, they were administered L-methylfolate (2.7 mg and 3.0 mg, respectively) and vitamin D3 (4500 IU each). These dosages are significantly above the RDA but well below levels associated with toxicity. CASE PRESENTATION: Seven patients had nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and some of them had hypertension. One patient had only hypertensive retinopathy. All patients were instructed to take Ocufolin™ medical food as a food supplement. Baseline genetic testing for MTHFR polymorphisms was conducted. Fundus photography was used to document the fundus condition of the enrolled eyes in 8 NPDR patients at the initial and follow-up visits. Microaneurysms (MA) and exudates were observed to be improved in some trial patients. All subjects had one or more MTHFR polymorphisms. All had diabetic retinopathy, hypertensive retinopathy, or both. MAs were resolved, and exudates were decreased in 8/8 cases after taking the medical food. Retinal edema was found in 2/8 cases and improved or resolved in both cases after taking the medical food or the supplement. The best corrected visual activity was stable or improved in 8/8 cases.
conclusionWe report a series of diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy cases with MTHFR polymorphisms and the improvement of retinal microvasculature (mainly MAs) in serial fundus photography after taking a medical food or supplement containing L-methylfolate and vitamin D. It appears that the use of nutritional supplements and medical foods containing L-methylfolate and vitamin D may be effective in facilitating the improvement of diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy.
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