Could this be the future of PRP? I hope so

http://bmctoday.net/retinatoday/2011/04/digital-supplement2/article.asp?f=tissue-sparing-micropulse

Check this link out. There are a number of them out there over the years... with some really positive results.

Ok seriously...using this with anti VEGF drugs would be the best thing to happen to treatment in 30 years. I am going to keep on this and find someone who practices this. Sure there are no long term tests yet, but with this what harm would it possibly do? It does not damage.

Research this people, and talk to your OP about options, even if they are still experimental. I always found the idea of destroying healthy areas to save others to be a hard pill to swallow.

Anyway sorry for my non stop eye posts...I find my obsessing to be more healthy if I look for positive treatment possibilities than harp on the ones that depress us. ;-)

I hope to makes this a topic I can update as time goes on.

I sure hoipe so! Good Luck, Josh!

I have found with my 5 vitrectinueis that the usual collateral damage is primarily cataract damage. I have had both eyes cataract surgery, which is FAR LESS (in terms of pain, anxiety, etc.) than vitrectomy.

Thanks for the link Josh. I have also been reading some interesting new pathways for retinopathy treatment. I will try to dig up some materials

http://bmctoday.net/retinatoday/2011/04/digital-supplement2/article.asp?f=subthreshold-micropulse-laser-treatments-proved-safe-and-effective

We need to pursue this and ask our eye doctors about it. It is proven in a 3 year clinical trial to be as affective as traditional PRP.

;-) Thanks Steve. I feel like I spend a lot of time thinking about this stuff, but it bothers me so many of us are effected by it despite how hard to take care of ourselves, and I am convinced we will reach a time in the next decade when we don't have to live with the feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Well despite the quietness here, I am continuing to post what I think is important info for all of us.

http://www.iridex.com/ophthalmology/index.html

Check this company out. they are the manufacturer of the micropulse laser that does not scar our eyes. ;-)

I like their subtitle "do no harm"

Until then we have this vegetable that apparently prevents macula degeneration.

http://www.naturalnews.com/020542.html

Hahahah. Yeah I guess so. I am trying to chill a bit more. Enjoy life between my apparent period of extended transient stress. ;-)

But yes he have spinach. Patrick you go to Beetham right?Who do you see there if you don't mind me asking? I see Dr. Sharuk. Awesome practitioner, a little lacking in the easy bed side manner dept.

I see Tim Murtha who has the best bedside manner and aggressive too as I go there twice a year. Was between mild/moderate at one point but with exercise and better control its back to mild yet I am having even better control and exercising better so hoping Dec 19th when I go back it will yield even better results. I know Dr. Sharuk and most of the docs there seem very good. Who is your endo? I have Wolpert and see Sue Ghiloni a lot. I might go visit Michael See or Jackie Shahar the exercise physiologists to better control my numbers with exercise.

Ha I go to Wolpert too. I have since I was 18. I LOVE him. LIke I will give my first born "Wolpert" as a middle name sort of love. He calls me sometimes just to check in, and always has the benevolent wisdom of some crazy Kung Fu Endo.

I always feel better about myself when I talk to him.

I don't have any other people I see, but I know I should have a NP. I think I have gone to Sue in the past.

I go twice a year too Beetham. Only since it went to moderate. Cotton wool spots bother the hell out of me because I can see every one. Sharuk says I notice stuff most patients ignore. I highly doubt that. ;-) We seem to live similar D lives. I am going to see Wolpert on the 21st actually. Which I guess is the day the Mayan end times Calender day. So that's cool.

Murtha always interested me. He the one with the ties right?

I think my goal is similar to yours a bit, I want to get my moderate level to a mild one if at all possible. I know later stages are not really "reversible" so I am working my ■■■ off to do it.

Consider taking Ecotrin at least temporarily. Its only 80 mg's and even taking it a few times a week might be of impact as it increases blood flow.. How is the exercise coming along?

I take Lisinoprel, lipator, Pycenogel and loads of Lutin. Aspirin is something I have considered as well.

Exercise wise it has been hard being here in Vietnam, but I lift every other day and plan to do my kung fu when I come back on a three day week basis. Baby steps.

Does it increase blood flow by what process though. My only worry from taking things that dilate vessels is the potential to increase the speed of the blood flow , since that is part of the problem with the smallest capularies, they can't regulate pressure.

I will still look into it. Going to try B1 BENFOTIAMINE as well.

Hi Josh. Linda is my name - "earthling" here. I have just joined because I am freaking out about my retinas and how they are responding to conventional Rx. I tried to message you directly and have put in a request to be a friend. I HUGELY appreciate the effort you are putting in to 1) sort out retinopathy causes, treatments and options, and 2) to share what you find with us here. REally. A lot.

At this point my vision is threatened. Left eye is stable but crappy vision-wise after 2 green laser checkerboard donut zappings of peripheral vision (ie. perph vis totally gone) followed by a vitrectomy during which a large vessel was lasered off my optic nerve leaving a blind spot right in the middle of my remaining window. Now he wants to do peripheral zapping in my other eye (which in no way stopped the progression in my left before...) I HATE THIS!!! Scares the ever-loving crap out of me.

You said in another post you've had good control for decades, so your retinopathy isn't in the category of people who go from A1Cs of 13 to 5.9 over a few months and find their eyes going south because of that... No one explains WHY that is a pattern they see btw, and I can't help but wonder if it isn't the lows, not the highs that cause our eye problems in the first place? For most of my 43 diabetic years a low was heralded by flickering at the center of my vision. Deeper lows, the whole middle of window looks like an old timey film melt down at the movies - big white light hole with ripped melty edges. Anyone else experience this. Why wouldn't this be a chronic damaging factor on our retinas? They are only now admitting that lows cause cognitive loss - brain damage. I could have told them that 40 years ago! Grrrrrr.

Anyway, thanks again. I will get these videos to my eye guy. Wish me luck. Nice to meet you.

-Linda