Scientists at the Ajou University School of Medicine and several Research Institutions in Korea found the class of medicines known as the gliptins slowed the development of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is the most common kind of eye disease in people who have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. In this research it was revealed 7 out of 28 Type 2 diabetics showed a slower development of diabetic retinopathy. In June of 2016, the journal Retina, reported 25 percent of the diabetics taking gliptins, while 26 of 54 diabetics, almost half the diabetics taking other antidiabetic medications, showed the usual disease progression. The researchers suggested gliptins could be helpful for slowing diabetic retinopathy, and that further studies are warranted.
Gliptins make up a class of oral antihyperglycemic or antidiabetic drugs that lower blood sugar by lowering the levels of glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar levels, and by slowing stomach emptying. When the stomach empties slowly, blood sugar levels stay even.