Leaders: Professor Alicia Jenkins and Dr Michael Huang are part of the FAME-1 Eye trial team.
Most adults with type 1 diabetes will develop some eye damage (retinopathy), which can threaten vision and be associated with a higher risk of kidney and heart complications. Existent treatments such as laser treatment and regular injections of various drugs into the eye are available for late-stage retinopathy. In adults with type 2 diabetes other trials (FIELD and ACCORD Lipid Eye) have shown eye protection by the blood fat (triglyceride-lowering) drug fenofibrate. The FAME-1 Eye trial is the first and only type 1 diabetes specific trial testing if once daily fenofibrate can protect against early to moderate retinopathy. Kidney and heart effects are also being evaluated.