MANAGEMENT OF PROLIFERATIVE DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

Abstract

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of blindness and visual disability in the United States because improvements in the medical management of diabetes have resulted in increased life expectancy. This in tum has increased the prevalence of severe vascular complications of diabetes, including proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).

In this study. patients were classifed into 3 groups according to type of treatment :

Group I: Eyes with high risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy requiring Panretinal photocoagulation ( PRP). Group II: Eyes with complicated PDR requiring vitrectomy. Group III:- Eyes with PDR unsuitable for laser or vitrectomy and treated with anterior retinal cryotherapy.

Group I: Eyes with high risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy requiring Panretinal photocoagulation (PRP).

Photocoagulation is a destructive fonn of therapy m which the eneq,ry of a well focused, intense light when absorbed by pigmented cells (such as erythrocytes or retinal pil:,'lnent epithelium ) is converted to heat which coagulates the cells and surrounding tissues .

This l:,'l•oup included 67 eyes in 50 patients in either one or both eyes. Their ages ranged from 20 to 60 years. The number of males was 22 and females 2S. This l:,'l•oup was treated by panretinal laser photocoagulation (PRP) in 2-3 sessions. Our aim was to place I 000-2000 laser bums within the eye to obliterate or• cause regression of neovascularization. All patients receivedPRP were examined at intervals ranging from I to 2 weeks at the start of treatment and then every one month for 4 months then every 3 months for a year . Examination included the corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, fundus examination to follow the previous neovasct1larization . The results of laser therapy was based on: 1- The response of neovascularization to laser therapy.