Modified grid pattern treatment of diabetic perifoveal edema by orange dye laser photocoagulation

Diabetic perifoveal edema is a potentially dangerous condition. A consecutive series of 58 diabetic eyes with fluorescein angiographically verified perifoveal edema and decreasing visual acuity and/or metamorphopsia was treated by orange dye laser photocoagulation in a perifoveal grid pattern. Observation periods ranged from 3 to 74 weeks (median 23.5 weeks). Post-treatment fluorescein angiography showed 51 dry foveas, 5 had discrete residual edemata and 2 were not controlled by fluorescein angiography, but were clinically dry. Metamorphopsia decreased simultaneously in most patients. Two eyes deteriorated more than 2 lines on the Snellen chart. Both developed chronic maculopathy, maybe induced by treatment. Except for these two, we found only minor changes in visual acuities and central visual fields. We find the method to be a relatively safe procedure to dry up diabetic foveal edema.