title: Peripapillary nerve fiber layer thickness changes after macular photocoagulation for clinically significant diabetic macular edema.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of macular photocoagulation (MPC) on peripapillary nerve fiber layer (PNFL) thickness measurement in patients with clinically significant diabetic macular edema (CSME).
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a prospective interventional case series. Patients with CSME underwent MPC. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used to measure the PNFL and central macular thicknesses before and 3 months after MPC.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-three eyes of 25 patients with a mean age of 59.4 ± 7.2 years were included. There was no statistically significant difference between pre- and post-MPC mean best corrected visual acuity (0.35 ± 0.29 and 0.40 ± 0.23 LogMAR, respectively, P = 0.2). Mean baseline and 3 months central macular subfield thickness was 305.9 ± 90.7 and 317.5 ± 112.4 microns, respectively (P = 0.1). Peripapillary nerve fiber layer thickness was 105.7 ± 10.0 before and 106.1 ± 9.9 three months after MPC (P = 0.7). No significant differences were found between pre and post MPC measurements in temporal, nasal, inferior and superior nerve fiber layer thickness in each quadrant around optic nerve head (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Macular photocoagulation has no statistically significant effect on PNFL thickness measurements in patients with CSME.
authors: Eye Research Center, Rassoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Khalil Ghasemi
authors: KG
authors: Falavarjani
authors: Eye Research Center, Rassoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Khoshamadi
authors: Eye Research Center, Rassoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Naveed
authors: N
authors: Nilforushan
keywords: Clinically significant macular edema; Macular photocoagulation; Nerve fiber layer