Abstract: Objective To evaluate the effect of rosiglitazone on non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy and the sensitivity of multifocal electroretinogram(mf-ERG) in detecting and monitoring early diabetic retinopathy. Methods Eighty-two patients who were 40 to 70 years old with type 2 diabetes mellitus and non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy who had no severe heart, brain hepatic, or renal diseases were enrolled in this study. These patients were randomized to receive either rosiglitazone sodium(rosiglitazone group) or metformin(metformin group) for intensified blood glucose control. All the participants were followed up for 1 year. BMI, blood pressure, HbA1c, biochemical characteristics, fundus inspection and multifocal electroretinogram(mf-ERG) and fluorescence fundus angiography(FFA) were performed before, during and after the treatment in the two groups. Results The mf-ERG showed that oscillatory potentials amplitude of P1 in rosiglitazone group were higher than that in metformin group at 12th months of follow up, the difference was significant. FFA status of rosiglitazone group and metformin group had no significant difference after 6 and 12 months follow-up. Conclusion Rosiglitazone sodium has a special therapeutic effect for the patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, and mf-ERG is more sensitive than other methods to detect early diabetic retinopathy.

Key words: type 2 diabetes, non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, rosiglitazone sodium, multifocal electroretinogram