title: Results of submacular surgery to remove diabetic submacular hard exudates.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate outcomes of submacular surgery to remove massive submacular hard exudates with diabetic macular edema.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, non-comparative, interventional consecutive case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-six eyes of 40 patients with massive submacular hard exudates with diabetic macular edema.
  
  
  METHODS
  Submacular surgery was performed to remove massive submacular hard exudates.
  
  
  METHODS
  Preoperative and postoperative visual acuities and clinical findings. All patients were followed for more than 1 year postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The macular hard exudates underlying the fovea almost disappeared, and macular edema remarkably reduced following surgery. Visual acuities ranged from 0.01 to 0.3 before surgery, and from 0.04 to 1.0 after surgery. Visual acuity improved by two lines or more in 45 eyes (80.4%), remained unchanged in 8 eyes (14.3%) and worsened in 3 eyes (5.3%). Visual acuity improved to 0.3 or more in 24 eyes (42.9%). Better postoperative visual acuity (0.3 or better) was related to hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) and the size of hard exudates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results showed the efficacy of submacular surgery to remove massive hard exudates with diabetic macular edema, and outcomes were satisfactory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Institute of Health Biosciences, University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsushita
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katome
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagasawa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shiota
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005122:Exudates and Transudates; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014821:Vitrectomy / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin