[Diagnostic and therapeutic options in diabetic retinopathy]

Diabetes mellitus is the systemic disease that most often leads to blindness. Since the diminishment of visual acuity is a late symptom of the disease, screening examinations are of particular importance, as only in this way can the optimal time point for treatment be determined. Stage-oriented laser therapy prevents blindness due to macular edema or proliferative diabetic retinopathy. For a number of years, vitreoretinal surgery has enabled the treatment of late ocular manifestations such as bleeding into the vitreous body and traction retinal detachment. With appropriate stage-oriented treatment, hopeless cases of diabetic retinopathy ending in blindness should become the exception. The only useful and confirmed effective medical treatment capable of delaying this late complication continues to be careful blood glucose and blood pressure control.