Management of Diabetic Retinopathy

Management in D.R. through prophylactic treatment (maintaining a glycemic level as close as possible to normal, control hypertension <150/85 mmHg, hyperlipidemia) and curative treatment of D.R. does not cure the disease, but may slow the evolution of D.M. and D.R. AntiVEGF agents are indicated as adjuvant therapy in pan-photocoagulation laser and / or vitrectomy in patients with DR to block angiogenesis by inhibiting VEGF. All antiVEGF agents are an effective treatment for the clinically significant macular edema. Photocoagulation laser is a treatment of choice in preproliferative and proliferative DR and an effective treatment of diabetic macular edema. The indications for laser treatment in diabetic retinopathy are related to the incidence, evolution of neovessels, duration of diabetes, HbA1c level, presence of macular edema, stage of DR. The laser for macular lesions reduces the risk of vision loss in the eyes with incipient and moderate non-proliferative DR and macular edema concomitant; the laser should be applied to all patients with clinically significant macular edema. Vitrectomy in proliferative DR is indicated in vitreous hemorrhage, tractional retinal detachment in order to remove the vitreous hermorrhage and excision of tractional preretinal membranes.

Latent Diabetic Macular Edema in Chinese Diabetic Retinopathy Patients

Purpose: To compare the detection rates of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and fluorescein angiography (FA) in a diabetic macular edema (DME) and the severity of diabetic retinopathy in both color fundus images (CFI) and FA, and to investigate the predictive factors in macular leakages in FA.Methods: This was a retrospective study, and a total of 132 eyes of 77 patients with diabetic retinopathy were enrolled. Macular OCT, FA, and CFI were reviewed and measured. Central foveal thickness was also measured.Results: The severity of diabetic retinopathy in FA was significantly higher than that in CFI (p &lt; 0.001). OCT detected 26 eyes with DMEs, which included the following: 13 eyes with cystoid macular edemas; 13 eyes with serous retinal detachments; 11 eyes with diffuse retinal thickening; 4 eyes with vitreomacular interface abnormalities. In contrast, 72 out of 132 eyes (54.5%) showed macular leakages in FA, which was significantly higher than that detected by OCT (p &lt; 0.001). Compared with FA, the sensitivity and the specificity of OCT in detecting DMEs were 30.6 and 93.3%, respectively. However, central foveal thickness was not significantly different between the patients with non-clinically significant macular edema (CSME, 253.1 ± 26.95 μm) and slight CSME (270.9 ± 37.11 μm, p = 0.204). The mean central foveal thickness in diabetic macular edema (FA) eyes was 271.8 ± 66.02 μm, which was significantly higher than that (253. ± 25.21 μm) in non-DME (FA) eyes (p = 0.039). The central foveal thickness in DME (FA) eyes was significantly lower than that in eyes with DME (OCT) (p = 0.014). After adjusting for age and sex, a logistic regression analysis showed that the classification of diabetic retinopathy in FA was positively associated with macular leakage in FA (p &lt; 0.001).Conclusions: The severity of diabetic retinopathy is underestimated in CFI compared with that in FA. FA can detect latent DMEs, which appeared normal on OCT. The central foveal thickness is not a sensitive parameter for detecting latent DMEs.

EFFECT OF INTRAVITREALANTI VEGF COMBINED WITH MACULAR LASER IN A CASE OF PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY WITH CLINICALLY SIGNIFICANT MACULAR EDEMA

Diabetic retinopathy specically Diabetic macularedema is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in working adults. We here discuss a case of a 50 year old male diabetic with clinically signicant macular edema who received a dose of intravitreal antiVEGF followed by panretinal photocoagulation 3 weeks later and macular laser at the end of 3rd month. On various followups there was a serial decrease in macular thickness. This case emphasizes on the fact that combined effect of AntiVEGF therapy with laser therapy has a benecial role in Proliferative Diabetic retinopathy with Diabetic Macular Edema.

Delay in seeking medical care after the onset of symptoms in patients with sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy

Objective To investigate the reasons for delays in seeking medical care in patients with diabetic retinopathy and associated risk factors. Methods We retrospectively reviewed data for patients with sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy (STDR) who attended a hospital in China. Various forms of STDR were identified, including severe non-proliferative DR, clinically significant macular edema and proliferative DR. Demographic, clinical and socioeconomic information was collected and the associated risk factors were evaluated. Results Of the 127 patients with STDR, 89.2% sought medical care within 1 month of developing symptoms. Those who sought treatment ≥6 months after symptoms developed had significantly lower income and less knowledge of diabetic complications than those who attended earlier. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that no or infrequent routine examination for diabetic complications were associated with long delays in seeking medical care (odds ratio (OR) 3.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05–9.19; and OR 2.91, 95% CI 1.04–8.40, respectively). Conclusions Most patients with STDR sought medical care within 1 month of symptoms developing, but no or infrequent routine examination for diabetic complications was associated with long delays. These results stress the importance of educational programs regarding diabetic complications to encourage timely medical care and prevent poor outcomes.

Optical coherence tomography of pseudophakic eyes after primary posterior capsulorhexis in pseudoexfoliation syndrome

Purpose to study vitreolenticular interface (VLI) and central retinal thickness after primary posterior capsulorhexis (PPC) in pseudoexfoliation syndrome (PEX). Material and methods. We conducted a dynamic OCT-evaluation of the macular morphology (47 cases) and of the VLI (39 cases) in patients with PEX in early and long term period after uncomplicated cataract surgery with PPC. In the long term period a comparative OCT-evaluation of the macula was performed in 129 patients with PEX (159 eyes) in different groups: after phacoemulsification with and without PPC, after Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy for secondary cataract, and in the control group of non-operated eyes. Results. The OCT-evaluation made it possible to visualize two significant features of VLI after PPC intact anterior hyaloid and restoration of the capsule barrier. It took 38 days for full adhesion. Secondary cataract in the PPC area was detected in one case in the long-term period. Dynamic OCT-evaluation of the macula in the main group revealed a statistically unreliable increase in the macular thickness (3.4%) in post-op period at 13 months with subsequent regression. Such changes were within the limits of physiological norm. In the remote period, comparative OCT-evaluation of the macula in different groups did not reveal statistically significant differences with the control group. Conclusion. OCT-evaluation at different post-op terms revealed the formation of stable vitreolenticular relationships and absence of clinically significant macular edema. Secondary cataract in the PPC area was detected only in one case.

Functional and Structure Outcome Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Diabetic Retinopatic with Clinically Significant Macular Edema at Bali Mandara Eye Hospital

Introduction: The increase in diabetics has an impact incidence of diabetic retinopathy and Diabetic Macular Edema (DME). DME due to changes in the blood retina barrier (BRB), causes fluid accumulation in the macula. This study aims to evaluate the functional outcome visual acuity and structure with optical coherence tomography (OCT) intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injection in DME with Clinically Significant Macular Edema (CSME). Methods: This study is a retrospective descriptive study. The study was conducted in the Department of Opthalmology, Bali Mandara Eye Hospital, Denpasar. Data were obtained from the medical records of all diabetic retinopathy patients with clinically significant macular edema who treated with IVB at Bali Mandara Eye Hospital in Denpasar January - December 2018. Result: Of the 52 subjects, improvement in best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) occurred in 26 (50.0%) subjects at the first month evaluation, 21 (40.4%) subjects at the third month, and 10 (19.2%) subjects at the sixth month evaluation. OCT decreased in 44 (84.6%) subjects at the first month evaluation, 16 (30.8%) subjects at the third month, and 14 (26.9%) subjects at the sixth month evaluation. Conclusion: There are visual acuity improvement and central retinal thickness reduction at 6 months after IVB injection. These results strengthen IVB injection to be an alternative therapy in DME with CSME.

Retinopathy Phenotypes in Type 2 Diabetes with Different Risks for Macular Edema and Proliferative Retinopathy

Our group reported that three diabetic retinopathy (DR) phenotypes: A, characterized by low microaneurysm turnover (MAT < 6) and normal central retinal thickness (CRT); B, low MAT (<6) and increased CRT, and C, high MAT (≥6), present different risks for development of macular edema (DME) and proliferative retinopathy (PDR). To test these findings, 212 persons with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and mild nonproliferative retinopathy (NPDR), one eye per person, were followed for five years with annual visits. Of these, 172 completed the follow-up or developed an outcome: PDR or DME (considering both clinically significant macular edema (CSME) and center-involved macular edema (CIME)). Twenty-seven eyes (16%) developed either CSME (14), CIME (10), or PDR (4), with one eye developing both CSME and PDR. Phenotype A showed no association with development of vision-threatening complications. Seven eyes with phenotype B and three with phenotype C developed CIME. Phenotype C showed higher risk for CSME development, with 17.41 odds ratio (p = 0.010), compared with phenotypes A + B. All eyes that developed PDR were classified as phenotype C. Levels of HbA1c and triglycerides were increased in phenotype C (p < 0.001 and p = 0.018, respectively). In conclusion, phenotype C identifies eyes at higher risk for development of CSME and PDR, whereas phenotype A identifies eyes at very low risk for vision-threatening complications.

Photocoagulation for Diabetic Macular Edema

The Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) was a randomized clinical trial involving nearly four thousand diabetic patients with early proliferative retinopathy, moderate to severe nonproliferative retinopathy, and/or diabetic macular edema in each eye. This paper (ETDRS report number 1) describes the findings in the subgroup of eyes in the ETDRS that were identified as having mild to moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy and macular edema. The analysis showed that immediate focal argon laser photocoagulation of “clinically significant” diabetic macular edema substantially reduced the risk of visual loss, increased the chance of visual improvement, decreased the frequency of persistent macular edema, and caused only minor visual field losses. The authors recommended immediate focal argon laser photocoagulation for all eyes with clinically significant macular edema and mild or moderate nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy, regardless of the level of visual acuity.