Retinal sensitivity loss and structural disturbance in areas of capillary nonperfusion of eyes with diabetic retinopathy.
OBJECTIVE
To assess light sensitivity and morphologic changes of capillary nonperfused areas in diabetic retinopathy.


METHODS
Prospective, observational cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Seventeen consecutive patients (20 eyes) with areas of capillary nonperfusion resulting from severe nonproliferative or proliferative diabetic retinopathy were included in the study. All eyes underwent fluorescent angiography and fundus-related microperimetry. Nonperfused areas of the retina were scanned with optical coherence tomography (OCT).


RESULTS
In all 20 diabetic eyes, areas of capillary nonperfusion detected by fluorescein angiography were associated with the loss of retinal sensitivity. At the edges of the nonperfused area, retinal sensitivity tended to be reduced. The OCT images suggested a structural disturbance of the inner retina and high-reflectivity deposition located between the outer segments of photoreceptor and the retinal pigment epithelium corresponding to the areas of capillary nonperfusion.


CONCLUSIONS
Areas of capillary nonperfusion resulting from severe nonproliferative or proliferative diabetic retinopathy show morphologic changes of the retinal structure, which may lead to a loss of sensitivity.
Unoki
Noriyuki
N
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
Nishijima
Kazuaki
K
Sakamoto
Atsushi
A
Kita
Mihori
M
Watanabe
Daisuke
D
Hangai
Masanori
M
Kimura
Tetsushi
T
Kawagoe
Naoaki
N
Ohta
Masahumi
M
Yoshimura
Nagahisa
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020795:Photophobia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012160:Retina / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012171:Retinal Vessels / Q000473:pathology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D058609:Visual Field Tests; D014794:Visual Fields