AIM: To investigate the effect of calcium dobesilate in treating early-to-mid diabetic cataract patients.

METHODS: Totally 86 patients(126 eyes)with diabetic cataract of incipient stage andimmature stage, treated in our hospital from January 2010 to December 2011, were enrolled. All patients were randomly divided into treatment group(Group T)and control group(Group C). Group T was treated with routine medicine glucose-lowering therapy. Group C was further treated with calcium dobesilate capsule(0.5g, 3 times per day)for six months. Preoperative and postoperative data of fasting blood glucose, postprandial blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, blood calcium level, hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α level were observed. Progress rate and remission rate of cataract in different stages were evaluated in the two groups postoperatively.

RESULTS: There was no significant difference in FBS, postprandial blood glucose, HBALC and blood calcium level between the two groups neither at the experiment onset nor after 6 months. As to the data of hs-CR, IL-6、and TNF-αlevel, there was no obvious change from preoperation to postoperation in Group C, while in observation group, those data decreased obviously(P<0.05). And compared to Group C after treatment, there were statistical differences(P<0.05). As to the progress rate and remission rate of diabetic cataract in different stages, the data were 3.2%,21.0% in Group C and 29.7%, 7.8% in Group T treated with calcium dobesilate. The difference was of statistical significance(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Calcium dobesilate can improve the clinical stage of diabetic cataract patients, probably because of its function of improving the patients' microinflammatory state.