[Visual acuity and macular thickness in diabetic retinopathy treated with panphotocoagulation].
OBJECTIVE
To compare the visual acuity and macular thickness in patients with diabetic retinopathy presenting and not presenting macular edema before treatment and submitted to argon laser retinal panphotocoagulation.


METHODS
Patients were included and classified into two groups before the treatment. All patients were submitted to ophthalmological examination and optical coherence tomography, following panphotocoagulation. The results were evaluated by measuring visual acuity at the end and by optical coherence tomography after one week, one and three months following the treatment.


RESULTS
The sample was composed of 37 patients (37 eyes). Group 1 included 29 patients with diabetic retinopathy without macular edema; Group 2 included 8 patients with macular edema. The two groups were similar regarding gender, age, and the mean of argon laser spots treatment. The groups showed differences in visual acuity (p<0.001) and Group 2 patients presented decrease of visual acuity three months after the treatment (p<0.001). Group 2 patients showed a greater mean of macular thickness measurements on optical coherence tomography evaluation.


CONCLUSIONS
Variation of the macular thickness as well as decrease in visual acuity was present in the patients with macular edema previously to panphotocoagulation. Only minimal increase in macular thickness was observed in the absence of macular edema.
Maia
Otacílio de Oliveira
OO
Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. omaiausp@uol.com.br
Takahashi
Walter Yukihiko
WY
Nakashima
Yoshitaka
Y
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017075:Laser Coagulation / Q000379:methods; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000473:pathology*; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011300:Preoperative Care; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*