Lasers can reduce retinal thickening

Among diabetic macular oedema (DME) patients, those with diffuse retinal thickening (DRT) experience greater reductions in retinal thickening after undergoing focal laser photocoagulation when compared with either cystoid macular oedema (CME) or vitreomacular interface abnormalities (VMIA) patients, according to a study published online ahead of print by the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Na Rae Kim of Inha University Hospital, the Republic of Korea, and colleagues examined 70 eyes, all undergoing laser photocoagulation for significant macular oedema, to identify if optical coherence tomography (OCT) patterns could predict visual outcome in these patients. Based on features of the preoperative macular OCT images, examined retrospectively, patients were classified into four categories: DRT, CME, serous retinal detachment (SRD) and VMIA. The team compared retinal thickness and volume and visual acuity (VA) pre- and postoperatively for each of the four groups.

For the different OCT types, the researchers found a statistically significant difference in retinal changes: p=0.002 for retinal thickness and p

The researchers therefore concluded that, because of these differences in response between the groups, using OCT to gain accurate preoperative classification of the grade of DME will allow for greater predictability of outcome.