Topical aldose reductase inhibitor for correcting corneal endothelial changes in diabetic patients.

Abstract

Marked variations in cell size (polymegethism) and shape (pleomorphism) are characteristic of the corneal endothelium in diabetic patients and animals. Wide field specular microscopy was used to evaluate the clinical efficacy of treating the diabetic corneal endothelium with topical instillation of 0.5% aldose reductase inhibitor, CT-112. Morphological variations (polymegethism and pleomorphism) of the endothelium in eight eyes from eight patients receiving CT-112 resolved within 3 months after initiation of treatment. In contrast, no change in endothelial morphology was noted in five eyes from five patients who received placebo. These observations suggest that aldose reductase may be involved in the aetiology of corneal endothelial variations in diabetic patients.