Patients have been looking for a remedy to help with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, a result of diabetes that could lead to blindness. A new study suggests that steroids injected directly into the eye can help.

While there are many that can help curb the progression of the disease, there are very few treatments for proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The disease affects 700,000 Americans with 63,000 new cases each year.

Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute found that by injecting the steroid triamcinolone directly into the eye, patients saw a significantly slower progression in the ocular disease.

The study was brought on by scientists who were looking at steroid injections as an alternative treatment for diabetic macular edema (DME), or swelling of the center of the retina, as opposed to laser treatment. Unfortunately, it was found that laser treatments still may be more beneficial.

“Steroid treatments did reduce the risk of progression of diabetic retinopathy, but, not DME, which can also cause vision loss from proliferative diabetic retinopathy,” explained researcher Neil Bressler.