Effective treatment of diffuse diabetic macular edema by temporal grid pattern photocoagulation.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effectiveness of laser grid pattern photocoagulation to the macula but not the papillomacular bundle for the treatment of diffuse diabetic macular edema.


METHODS
Thirty-five eyes of 23 patients with diffuse diabetic macular edema underwent laser grid photocoagulation excluding the papillomacular bundle area. Best-corrected visual acuity by Snellen chart, foveal thickness using a retinal mapping program by optical coherence tomography (OCT), and mean deviation sensitivity by Humphrey automated central perimetry were investigated before and 1, 3, and 6 months after the treatment.


RESULTS
Six months after treatment, the visual acuity was improved by 2 or more lines in 16 eyes (43%) and the foveal thickness decreased in 32 eyes (91%). The mean deviation worsened in 34 eyes (97%). There was a significant correlation between the improvement of visual acuity and the initial mean deviation, suggesting that a better visual acuity would be expected with a preoperative mean deviation of approximately -20 dB.


CONCLUSIONS
Grid pattern photocoagulation without treatment to the papillomacular bundle area was effective in treating diffuse diabetic macular edema, especially in eyes with an initial mean deviation showing moderate dysfunction.
Department of Ophthalmology, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, Sendai, Miyagi, Japan.
Masahiko
M
Shimura
Kanako
K
Yasuda
Toru
T
Nakazawa
Satsuki
S
Ota
Makoto
M
Tamai
D000368:Aged; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D017075:Laser Coagulation / Q000379:methods*; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity; D058609:Visual Field Tests