Aspirin (2024) and diabetic retinopathy

research

2024

Due to limited randomized studies on the protective role of aspirin in early diabetic retinopathy (DR), (ASCEND)-EYE, a large-randomized sub-study of (ASCEND) A Study of Cardiovascular Events in Diabetes trial, was designed. A randomized trial randomly assigns participants to different groups to compare the effects of different treatments or interventions.

The 7360 participants (48% of the full ASCEND trial) were diabetics of the United Kingdom, aged 40 years or older. The group took 100 mg of aspirin daily for 6.5 years. Within the parameters studied, no statistically significant difference was found between the aspirin group and the placebo group. The researchers stated, however, that the findings did "give reassurance regarding the ophthalmologic safety of aspirin."

Sammons, E., Buck, G., Bowman, LJ, Stevens, WM, Hammami, I. et al. (2024). ASCEND-Eye: Effects of Aspirin on Diabetic Retinopathy. Ophthalmology. 131(7):771-779.