title: Adopting 3-year screening intervals for sight-threatening retinal vascular lesions in type 2 diabetic subjects without retinopathy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report the incidence of sight-threatening vascular lesions in type 2 diabetic subjects without retinopathy after adopting a 3-year interval screening program.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 1,691 type 2 diabetic subjects with no detectable retinopathy in two 50° red-free fundus photographs were scheduled for follow-up with photography 3 years later. Age at diabetes diagnosis was 60 ± 12 years, and known duration of diabetes was 6 ± 6 years. Treatment consisted of diet only (26%), oral agents (54%), and oral agents and/or insulin (20%). Glycated hemoglobin A(1c) was 6.4 ± 1.5%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 1,322 subjects available for follow-up, 73% were still without retinopathy after 3 years, and 28% had developed mild or moderate retinopathy, but none developed severe nonproliferative or proliferative retinopathy. Macular edema requiring laser coagulation occurred in only one eye.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Three-year retinal screening intervals can be recommended in subjects with mild type 2 diabetes and no retinopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences Malmö, Ophthalmology, Skåne University Hospital Malmö, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden. elisabet.agardh@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Agardh
authors.forename: Poya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tababat-Khani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000473:pathology*; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies