Independent Conjunctival and Retinal Microcirculatory Improvements Following Ocufolin® Supplementation in Mild Diabetic Retinopathy.

PURPOSE: To determine whether conjunctival and retinal microcirculatory improvements induced by Ocufolin® supplementation are independently regulated in mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (MDR).

METHODS

Eighteen MDR patients (18 eyes) received Ocufolin® for six months. Conjunctival flow rate (Q) and vessel density (CVD) were measured using a functional slit‑lamp biomicroscope. Retinal blood flow (RBF) and vessel densities in the superficial (SVP), deep (DVP), and total retinal vascular network (RVN) were obtained using retinal function imaging and OCT angiography. Measurements were taken at baseline, 4 months, and 6 months. Mean values from both eyes were averaged and correlations between conjunctival and retinal parameters were analyzed.

RESULTS

Q increased significantly from 91.71 ± 34.53 pl/s at baseline to 119.81 ± 40.75 pl/s at 4 months and 138.70 ± 75.37 pl/s at 6 months (p < 0.05). RBF also rose from 2.27 ± 0.71 nl/s to 2.78 ± 1.00 nl/s and 3.20 ± 0.89 nl/s (p < 0.05). Vessel densities (CVD, SVP, DVP, RVN) did not change significantly (p > 0.05). RBF and Q were correlated at baseline, but not at the fourth or sixth month. No other significant correlations were found between conjunctival (Q or CVD) and retinal (RBF or vessel density) metrics at any time point (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

As the first study to assess post‑supplementation correlations between conjunctival and retinal microcirculation in MDR, the study's findings show that Ocufolin® improved blood flow in both tissues. These results support using conjunctival and retinal measurements as complementary biomarkers in MDR evaluation.