Progression of diabetic retinopathy during improved metabolic control may be treated with reduced insulin dosage and/or somatostatin analogue administration - a case report

In conclusion, in poorly controlled type 1 diabetic patients, intensified insulin therapy is able to cause florid DR with acute macular edema. These sight-threatening changes may improve by short-term reduction of insulin dosage or by administration of octreotide, and we speculate that this may be related to down-regulation of (serum) IGF-I.