Diabetic Retinopathy Management
The 2017 American Diabetes Association (ADA) Position Statement on Diabetic Retinopathy notes that diagnostic assessment and treatment options have improved dramatically since the 2002 ADA Position Statement.1 These improvements include the widespread adoption of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to assess retinal thickness and intraretinal pathology and wide-field fundus photography to reveal clinically silent microvascular lesions.1
Macular photocoagulation was demonstrated as a treatment for clinically significant macular edema (CSME) by the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) in 1985 and is considered to be a standard of care for diabetic macular edema (DME)2-6 and is useful in patients with PDR and high-risk characteristics.1 However, a substantial group of patients are unresponsive and fail to improve after laser photocoagulation.2-4 Clinical trials using intravitreal pharmacotherapies have reported many favorable outcomes for DME. (see next section for more description)
Treatment of DME is now achieved by intravitreous injection of anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents, and the same agents are now used for PDR;1 some of which are being studied in NPDR patients, as well.
If you are looking for more Diabetic Retinopathy Management tips for caring for your patients, check out our other Clinician resources and toolkit.
References
- Solomon SD, Chew E, Duh EJ, et al [2017 ADA Position Statement]. Diabetic retinopathy: A position statement by the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. 2017;40(3):412–418.
- Bandello F, Casalino G, Loewenstein A, Goldstein M, Pelayes D, Battaglia Parodi M. Pharmacological approach to diabetic macular edema. Ophthalmic Res. 2014;51:88-95.
- Ford JA, Lois N, Royle P, Clar C, Shyangdan D, Waugh N. Current treatments in diabetic macular oedema: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2013;3:e002269.
- Thomas BJ, Shienbaum G, Boyer DS, Flynn Jr HW. Evolving strategies in the management of diabetic macular edema: clinical trials and current management. Can J Ophthalmol. 2013;48:22-30.
- Lim JI. Unmet needs in diabetic macular edema. US Ophthalmic Rev. 2011;4(1):101-104.
- Tarr JM, Kaul K, Kohner EM, Chibber R. Diabetic retinopathy: major unmet medical challenge. Endocrinol Studies. 2011;1(e7):28-36.
